Blue Roses
by Gilded Blue
Summary: In a world where most live constantly in fear of the dreaded androids, one woman is trapped between the savior and the devil. And what of her infamous relationship with the Saiya-Jin prince? Mirai 17/Bulma/Gohan
1. Possession

**Blue Roses**

She was beautiful. Somehow it always came down to that, in the very end. Life was short, live in the moment, right? Stop and smell the roses, something cliché like that? Why wouldn't he just appreciate her on that simple little characteristic alone?

Besides, her beauty went deeper than her skin. You could tell she was beautiful even if you were blind. Even through her constant sorrow, her sad blue eyes, and her messy teal hair she had this aura about her that championed grace prettily. She had a son to worry for though, yielding no time to worry about herself anymore. She loyally stood by his side, nursed him when he got sick, fed him well, clothed him nicely, loved him infinitely. To her, he was all she had left. How wrong she was. She had someone else, too. With old, faded logo sweaters and grease-stained aprons, with her tired but feisty, yet sad, helpless, almost hopeless nature, he loved her.

But he was not the one you'd think he was, our hero. He wasn't her son. He watched her from afar, always keeping just enough distance to remain dignified and polite. He envied how she constantly worried for her son and he ached for her attention... Like so many years ago...

Faintly he feels his mind float away to another time and place. Back in the time when _her husband_ wasn't dead, wasn't even her husband, and his own father wasn't even dead. He looked down a few moments. His father, too, had loved the woman. But he was too fool, too naïve to have her. To even feel that way about her.

He shouldn't have. She was a widow, with a son of her own and still in love with... _him_. Vegeta. He could hardly bear to think his name. Since he was a child, the crush turned into something much more, as, sadly, it always does. Since he was a child, and his world had been turned upside down.

She was older than his father. On virtue of this, this older woman ought to be deemed by far too old for him. At least in her late forties, she surely saw him as a kid, anyway. As for our hero? He's a becoming young man of eighteen, maybe nineteen. He was still new to the world even though he felt like a veteran.

Either way, age had been kind to her. Her form, still flawless, if anything she'd become slightly rigid. He could tell when he would see her in loose lab coats. There were deep bags around her eyes, and apparently they were there because she didn't sleep at night. But she was still beautiful to him. There weren't many alive to look at her, and it shamed him, but he was glad.

In his mind, she was his, after all. This was his greatest folly of all, despite himself, over the years he had taken to thinking of her in this almost _possessive _light. It made his stomach curl. And the more he came to love her, the more he began to hate himself.

One might argue, after all, that she was never his in any way at all. He was kidding himself, and he was hurting her.

And now it seemed like fate was cruel when he stood and looked her son in the eyes. They were kind of Bulma's and kind of Vegeta's. There was a queer seriousness about them, something like the evidence of a childhood of constant stress and worry. But they also seemed youthful and idealistic. He loved Trunks, he hated him, and he even envied the boy. He loved him for he was _her_ son. He looked like her. His icy blue eyes that were fixed on that worried, tired face reminded Gohan so of Bulma. He hated Trunks all at the same time, for he was the spawn of Vegeta- the very certain product of their love-making. The symbol, and the scar, of their passionate summer nights spent together. He stared at the boy, but thought of the boy's father. The woman deserved love, attention, security… and what she got was…

The sadistic irony of it all killed him, for she was fantastic, a respectable woman (proud, somewhat arrogant), and she fell for the dark and dangerous Saiyajin Prince. He wasn't a man, but a monster, the sort of monster that won the grand prize and stood about gloating over it in the form of a thirteen year old boy.

He remembered that night... long ago, when he was still a child, he slept over at Capsule Corporation. He remembered the moans, mainly hers, her pleads, soft begging, and grunts from him. But mostly, he remembered how jealous he was. The woman, the sheer representation of perfection, had fallen for the primitive prince.

It wasn't fair. Somehow his mind always came back to this.

It never was. It was supposed to end, a stupid crush on the only female he'd ever been around-not counting his mother. It was expected. Natural, even. But it was also expected that he grew out of it, matured past such a thing. It was probably expected that he be cool and sexless like his father was. His innocence was guaranteed on virtue of the creator of his birth, similar to the way that young Trunks was guaranteed to be trouble from birth. But that would come later. Before Trunks became Gohan's biggest problem, _they_ expected him to give up his love for her.

He looked around him. It is said that rebirth and destruction go hand in hand. Not here, not now. The statement was false, as well as any hope. He tried to feel like _was_ hope. The last hope. But these days, in this land of havoc and desolation, he was fading, slowly, dying.

What was there to fight for?

Immediately his mind jerks to answer his own question:

His mother, his grandfather, the innocent people, the woman he loved, for the memory of his friends… Still, stubbornly, he refused to fight for the one he should have called his prince. He refused to fight for the one memory of the prince the woman had left of him.

He sighed again. He had been too late to save any lives... Everyone about the pair was dead. Destruction was everywhere, and now it was eerie and silent. Gohan wanted to honor these people badly. It would appear that someone else would want to honor them with him. He barely heard Bulma's young son cry out, "Gohan! Why are they doing this? Killing all these innocent people!"

He could do little more than scan the boy. He _failed_. He wasn't there on time to stop the dreaded androids. A whole city died and it was entirely his fault. But his eyes were cold and old, and he continued to stare down at the boy, to force stoicism in tragedy, and say calmly, "Because they're monsters, Trunks. That's they know."

* * *

_Vegeta's death was quick and, hopefully, relatively painful. I don't mean that. Anyway, I can remember the day clearly. Still wounded by Piccolo's swift death, I stood in the background watching in horror alongside Yamucha and Krillin as Vegeta battled the dark android. The android Juuhachi was gloating over her victory on the sidelines. It drove me mad, I will never forget how playful she was, how lightly she took my dear mentor's life. Everything was ruined in an instant. All I could think about was that now the Dragonballs were gone. No one can come back, and worst of all Piccolo himself was gone. A void suddenly opened up in my life in a way that it hadn't since my own father had died. I was shot back to life by the sound of Vegeta coughing. He wasn't doing too well. The android Juunana stepped forward, his cold blue eyes were like two diamonds that had set their eyes on the prince standing before him._

_Vegeta's eyes and face were somehow widened. Like he knew he was about to die and the thought alarmed him, but he was trying really hard to not let it show. In the corner of his eye he saw me. He does something like tilt his head to the side. I blinked a little bit, but was cut off by Juunana's harsh laughter filling the air._

_In retrospect I think I see. The prince died a noble death. Never fear, fans of Vegeta. He died protecting me, and Bulma, and maybe even little Trunks that day. Vegeta, whatever his reasons were, intended entirely on securing my life, even at the expense of his own. This was his final atonement, maybe a debt paid back to my father, or something sentimental about me being the last Saiya-Jin. But he wanted me to leave that day, and something tells me that even before Juunana really noticed I was there, Vegeta was trying to buy time for me to escape. _

_"Why Vegeta, I can taste your fear." He's smirking now as he's creating an energy blast. Vegeta just stands there. This I can say about the Saiya-Jin prince, in that instant before his death I saw in his face something kind of opened up about him. It's hard to explain. Sure, there was fear. But I also detected this little bit of resignation and regret. This is how I've come to the conclusion that Vegeta _meant something _by saving my life. _

_Vegeta, bloodied and weary from the battle, hacks up some blood. He looks in my direction once more. His eyes widen a little, as though he's trying to insist something._

_Still I shook my head._

_"Oh, him? Don't worry about him, Vegeta. He's next." He lunges forward, landing a punch on Vegeta's face. He passes through a tree and still comes flying back towards Juunana._

"_Feel Vegeta's wrath!" _

_The androids chased me halfway home before they got bored. I lived to fight on, but mother never quite understood why I spent days in bed even after the doctor came. Mother had to get Grandpa to pay for the fee of a house-call, these were dangerous times. But she didn't understand that my body didn't get sick when Piccolo, Krillin, and Yamcha died. My heart did. And now that I was the only one left, I didn't know how I was going to survive long enough to get strong enough to take the androids. I wished my dad was there. He would know what to do. _

_I didn't want to leave at first. It was Yamucha who escorted me home. He died outside of Capsule Corporations that day as well. I remember Bulma was just standing there with Trunks in her arms. She got a glimpse of Juunana, and he of her. With a bit of a smirk, he winked at Vegeta, "That your woman? She's cute." _

_Vegeta growled, but Juunana must have been done with it. Yamucha, with a panic stricken face half yanked my arm away. The next thing I knew I was flying off in some obscure direction. "Don't let them follow you back, kid," He mutters under his breath. _

_Behind me I can feel Juuhachi's eyes, and Vegeta's ki signal disappear forever. And I know he did it so that I might get away. I know that, that day, Vegeta's concern was _his house, _and for that day I was included in that. I know Vegeta felt a connection to me before he died. And yet I dishonor his name by loving his wife. Krillin and Yamucha would die protecting Bulma, Dr. Briefs, and the baby inside. Mrs. Briefs will soon die in an accident when the androids attacked the city. Dr. Briefs can't take it without her and passes on a year after that. It's really sort of romantic, in a tragic and bizarre sort of way, and Bulma continues to raise her son alone._

_Don't take my thoughts on Vegeta's heroics that day too seriously. Not that I haven't used my praise quite sparingly either way. But it is true that there is something I will always respect, if not admire, about Vegeta. Still I would come to learn of his callousness towards Bulma and his own son. In a few shorts years I would learn about how Vegeta never told Bulma he loved her, and that she only told people that they were an item so that people didn't think that Trunks was someone's bastard child. I guess you could say maybe in another time or place I would think of Bulma in a similar way that I see my own mother: just another woman always there for me. But I purr when she hugs me, I linger in her scent. I cannot let this go. Vegeta or no. _

_

* * *

_

Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z or its related characters. Thank you.

**Next Time: Trunks briefly remembers an emotional night and realizes he has feelings that are very dangerous to himself and others**


	2. Monsters

**Blue Roses**

**Chapter Two: Monsters**

Trunks' blue eyes looked down as he said that. Monsters. Monsters. He was sick of hearing that word! His mother called his father a monster once... he closed his eyes, clinching his fist, remembering...

* * *

_It was barely three A.M. The green numbers glow on his clock, bright enough to make him squint but not enough to make him groan and close his eyes. That was how he knew it wasn't morning yet._

___There was a glow, dim, but he could tell it down the hall. Scratching his head, he pulled a shirt over his bare chest for slight decency in front of who would have to be his mother. He worried so for the woman. She was so delicate, sad, yet seemed so strong. He loved her more than anyone._

___He had just realized that this very day. She was so sad... So out of character for herself. As she served him breakfast that previous morning. The food just... dropped in front of him. She was in a daze. Her hair covered her face, had not been washed in days._

___Had he not noticed his mother's state? She had been acting like it for weeks. But now... today was more so. It snapped him from whatever world he was in._

___Was it about the androids? The metal demons that plagued the world? That made it dangerous to step outside or eat or even breathe? The blonde one, so seductive, so sly, her smirk and her voice cool. He heard her on T.V. Never really saw her, saw fires and blasts hurling at buildings, always seemed to know what they looked like, but never saw them. The male had the same heartless blue eyes with black hair._

___He knew nothing about them because there was nothing to know. They were evil. A menace. They hurt and ruthlessly killed millions of people for years and that was all that mattered. Or was he just as bad, for not caring or wanting to hear their story?_

___But who had a reason to hurt so many people? Who?_

___He got up, opened his door, and trudged down. His mother's door was cracked open. She insisted on rooming closer to him, incase of an attack and she had to get to him to protect him. He always felt it would be the other way around, him protecting her, but he knew she knew it would be as well. Maybe it was fear... maybe she really would have protected him. Thrown herself in front of the androids and impressed them with some invention..._

___It would have never worked like that, he was sure, but it didn't hurt to dream. If there was one thing he knew, it was that it didn't hurt to dream. As long as the dream kept sealed deep within you._

___She was shaking on the bed, tears rolling down her cheek. They weren't soft tears; they were angry, "You _**bastard**_!" Her voice moaned out, "How dare you leave me! With a son! With no one to protect him! You fucking _**monster**_! You didn't change! This was your sadistic joke." Her voice became a whisper._

___Who was she talking to? His father? Trunks always thought she... loved him... why was she so mad?_

___"Your joke. You massacred and shed blood; pool after pool but it wasn't enough! Was it, Vegeta? It's never going to be enough! So you found me. Breaking bones wasn't good enough. Cracking skulls, decapitation, wiping out entire races! Monster! You had to break the most vital thing to a person! You broke my heart... my mind... my feelings! You made me love you! _**THEN YOU LEAVE!" **_She was shaking, her moans now echoing throughout the house. She was panting, her face red, swallowing, but saliva still ran down the sides of her mouth, colliding with her tears._

___Her nose, un-wiped, was running, red as her cheeks and eyes, but she continued to sob... "Monster... I hate you! I'll _**never **_forgive you! You leave me with him, to remind me of you. You left me alone..." She was almost inaudible._

___Trunks thought it would be better that way. She thought this of him. Something that his father just left her with. Dropped in her lap... she resented him for leaving. Tears threatened but he clinched his fists, forcing himself to listen as she spoke out again._

___"Then you made me fall in love with that little boy with blue eyes and lavender hair. With your look, I don't know how or why or what I did, but he has that look in his eyes, that smirk when he's proud. Oh Kami, his pride." Her sobbing gave out... Her words were garbled, and she just lay down, staring at the dark corner, curled in a ball. "Won't forgive you... can't forgive you."_

___Should he have held her? Should he have cried? He didn't know._

___What he did know is that he would never, ever bring that night up._

* * *

Was his father really a monster? Every other time his mother said he was proud, strong, demanded respect. Nothing much. Basic details. Not even explained his appearance, though she once said Vegeta was handsome, just like him.

He couldn't picture his father with lavender hair though. Or blue eyes. He tried to remember... had he seen a picture before? Yes! There was one...his hair was like a flame, he stood tall, armor. He looked short, shorter than the many pictures he had seen of his mother's _Son-San._ That was how she referred to him.

_'Son-San'_ this, or _'Gokou'_ that. She never gave her father pet names or anything for his father. He couldn't help but be jealous for Vegeta. But his mother never cried, not like that, for anyone else. Maybe her father meant more after all.

He always assumed at one point of time this Gokou, this Son-San that his mother seemed to idolize, the protector of the Earth, a savior, the answer to all that cried out for help, had once been together. He tried to picture the man with a goofy grin standing next to his mother, his arm over her shoulder and with him, an infant in her arms, instead of Gohan and Chichi. That was her name?

He looked much more kind than his father, who looked agitated and was so far to the side that his leg was cut off from the picture.

He, who was standing on the other side of the group, opposite of his mother, him crying in her arms. Vegeta seemed... uptight. Angry, offended at his very presence. Was that the reason he hadn't stood by his mother that day? Did his father really love her?

Was it lust? Was it love? What is just the result of a one-night stand?

He knew nothing of his parents... not his parents, but his parents, the love life. The item.

"Trunks?"

He blinked. Had Gohan been talking this whole while, "Huh?"

"You alright?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

Gohan smiled, but his eyes were still harsh, not towards him... but… something else. Something about him? Or maybe it was just he... _'Maybe I'm just being weird.'_ It was nothing. "Let's get you back to Capsule Corp, Buddy."

Capsule Corporation was the last place he wanted to be, but he nodded, staring at the boy. The similarities between the man, Gokou, and Gohan were uncanny.

Looking down at the doll, a child who had freshly been murdered, dropped; he kneeled and picked it up. Sighing, he kissed it briefly on the cheek, put it in his pocket, and joined Gohan's side.

Home. Angry. Hurt. Mad. Upset. Children. Death. Tears. Monsters.

He had to control this anger.

* * *

Brief edit.


	3. Houseguest

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Three: Houseguest**  
  
She sighed. When he left, she said all the wrong things. Turning the radio up didn't drown things out. Her son.  
  
She should've made him come back!  
  
She should have done something. Anything. But she did, she argued with herself, If he wanted to go get killed...  
  
Why couldn't she even think it? Why couldn't she think that if he wanted to go get killed, it was his fault.  
  
Bulma sighed and sped up, maybe he'd be waiting for her at home. She knew that she couldn't say it... The last thing she told Vegeta was that if he wanted to go get killed, she wouldn't cry.  
  
She cried. He proved her wrong. He always did.  
  
Pushing the thoughts of Vegeta away, she started going as fast as she could on the vacant road... Trunks might be there, waiting for her to fix any wounds.  
  
Stupid kid! Why did he have to go fight them? Why did he have to go... he could be dead!

* * *

"Is this... is this the way life's supposed to be?" Trunks murmured, his fists digging into his pants. "So full of pain... Well, I'd rather fight and die then watch this happen." His thoughts drifted to his death, more tears slid down, splattering on his hand. Crystal tears. He couldn't keep hiding, no matter how afraid he was. No matter what he'd put his mother through? "No! I can't just sneak around while all this is going on!" She had been protecting him for so long... he owed her his life so many times over.  
  
Gohan stood, perfect posture, staring out the window. The androids were a chaotic, he agreed with the boy. He almost envied how he couldn't so freely cry. He had seen a lot of things, horrible things, since boyhood, and now this of all the worst.  
  
He sighed. The thought, of his father, who so proudly fought to save the world, his mother, himself, and died for it. Others, he didn't know of had as well. The world's greatest fighters. A super team they made that died one by one, starting with the leader.  
  
But _'Son-San'_ didn't go down fighting, he died of what, of all things? A heart disease. Trunks truly believed that his mother thought the reason that they all flew apart was because he died. How could he leave them, how could he be the reason that this team came apart but she forgave him?  
  
This was his life! He looked to the cracked wall, touched the toy in his pocket, remembered the crushed buildings, the radio and T.V. reposts, and he thought about it. He was Saiya-Jin. He knew, from the stories, few there were, of his father that the Saiya-Jin race was born to fight, for combat. He took a deep breath, "Please, train me, you have to... Please! I must fight! C'mon, Gohan! You're half Saiya-Jin like me, right? So then you must know how I'm feeling. Help me channel some of this anger!"  
  
But Gohan, who had a slight smirk, already knew that this would happen. He kept his arms crossed, and idly stared out the window. The boy gave a good argument, but he didn't have to think twice. He understood perfectly how the young Saiya-Jin was feeling. _Son of the prince..._ the back of his mind taunted.  
  
"Gohan!" Trunks shouted again.  
  
"You're pitiful, Trunks." Gohan said, his voice mocking somewhat. Trunks frowned. Was this the kind Gohan? "An emotional wreck. Just like I was when my mom wouldn't let me train and with my father." He remembered those days, but turned and approached the boy, who was calmed now. "From now on, I'm your master and you are my pupil. How's that?" He placed a hand on his head, smiling.  
  
The tears slowed, "Great... I won't let you down."  
  
Gohan beamed, "Yeah. I know."

* * *

Bulma sighed as she pulled into Capsule Corporation, re-containing the car. _'Kami, please oh please let him be alright. There aren't any Dragonballs! Please let him be alive! I haven't asked much of you and really meant it... he's my boy... Great Bulma, now you're talking to yourself, or better yet, a dead man. Namek. Thing.'_ She laughed a little, taking the groceries and entering. "Trunks! I'm home!"

* * *

Trunks heard his mother and quickly wiped his eyes, "My mom's back..." Gohan's heart leapt, and as Trunks wasn't looking his smiled, "Oh man!" He looked at Gohan, his eyes pleading. His mother'd forbid it! "Please don't tell her?"  
  
"Right." Gohan nodded. He loved her, and he didn't want to anger her. But he also knew it was his duty, to his father, to the world, to train Trunks. When he died, he was all the world would have left. Whether it was the androids still lurking around or a new foe.  
  
Trunks ran to the table, picking up his school booklet, well what was a schoolbook. His mother taught him, mostly. No schools left.  
  
Gohan went to the window, hoping she wouldn't see him blushing.  
  
"Hello?" Bulma called again, her voice worried and playful at once. Maybe he was just hiding. He was a little prankster when he was a child. "Anyone in here?" She gave a fake sigh of relief as she saw him, though every part of her was pounding with thanks, "Ahh, nice to see that you're **ALIVE**, son. Do you plan on living **LONG**, or should I start shopping for one instead of two?"  
  
Gohan chuckled to himself. She was the same, stubborn, sarcastic, he shivered. Her voice was so...  
  
"Uhh, no Mom, two's fine."  
  
Bulma looked to the window, she thought she saw a ghost for a moment. Strong build, handsome, dark hair, pale skin, orange and blue gi. Then she looked closer. Gohan, "Oh, and a surprise guest," She mused, "How are you Gohan?"  
  
Bulma had a deep respect for the boy, well now a man. He was so strong, like his father. He would be proud. She almost forgot why, she knew, he was there and let herself smile at him.  
  
Gohan turned at his name and stared at her. Hot pink jumper, unzipped down. Damn bread, he cursed, looking at it. He stared idly for a moment, before replying, "Fine..." He nodded, "Hi."  
  
He wanted to do something... but he just stared. Trunks, book upside down, looked to his mother. Gohan marveled at how she could just grab the attention of the room... She was... perfect.  
  
"Trunks goes to fight the androids, and then you show up." She cursed him. That was all she had left! How could he? He was going to get Trunks killed! It was free will to go, yes, but now that Gohan was here, she knew what'd happen next. "What an interesting coincidence, wouldn't you say?" She walked to the kitchen, put the groceries up and start dinner, "You guys aren't planning anything?" Her voice warned, "Well I didn't think so." She left the two blinking, "No one's that stupid. Right?" Her voice, sharp, commanding, and she looked straight at Gohan.  
  
Gohan shuddered under her eyes, they twinkled but were sarcastic. He looked at Trunks and cursed Vegeta again.  
  
_'You take her. then you make me train him... you know I'll do it because it's right, and also because it keeps me from her.'_ He looked at Bulma again_. 'Not for long, Vegeta.'_

* * *

Bad Gohan!  
  
I watched the history of trunks for a few hours, that one part just for this chappeh! Woe to me. I can recite it.

**Next Time: Bulma insists that Gohan stays, but when the topic turns to Son Gokou, Trunks can't help but feel the same resentment towards the man he never met. Then, when Gohan and Bulma get a moment alone... his mind might tend to wonder...**  
  
Reviewer's Corner:

Angel: Heh, I try to update quickly, but with school and all... Yanno how it is.

Vegeta Goddess: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Either that or it sucked so much that it caused your brain to melt and the only cure for the condition is more bad-ness. Anyway, here it is. I was actually thinking about cleaning up the flashback on the last chapter. Something about it just seems so over-dramatic. Gah, you have no idea how much time a week I spend just editing fics, and I always have to re-edit this and that, this and that, because there's always a typo and I always forget if I'm using Japanese or English and there's always something. Right now, I'm having fun with setting up this new format, but I hope I can get a few more chapters in. I am seriously thinking about entering that contest if it's not too late.

Celeb Ryu: As always, you'll probably be the first to hear if I make an update. Hell, you're usually the one I go to when I want someone to tell me if it's good or not, so keep that in mind and calm down, Celly.


	4. Daydreams

Author's Pre Notes: Okie, it just occurred to me I haven't done my disclaimer yet. Well, we all know this is nonprofit, I do NOT own Dragonball Z or any of the characters.  
  
Another note: Are we getting TIRED of this just word for word from The History of Trunks? I know I am. It's somewhat boring to me, but you guys seem to like it so I'm going on. What I'm trying to do is give it a feel so that it's IC but getting the story line in through thoughts, or as in chapter two, flashbacks. This should be the last chapter that's done like that, then prepare for Gohan/Bulma. Juunana comes in later.  
  
**Blue Roses**

**Bouzi Neo**

**Chapter Four: Daydreams**  
  
Under his mother's amused eyes, Trunks blushed and turned the book to it's proper direction as he heard the pots clanging together, Mom was making dinner-she never was all that graceful in the kitchen.  
  
"I should be going." Gohan murmured, turning. Trunks' first lesson would be to find him before training. That would be fun.  
  
"Oh no you don't, you probably haven't eaten in days. You come right back in here, Son Gohan." Bulma followed him out, stopping him at the door. Her motherly instincts told her to watch out for him, for poor Chichi.  
  
Gohan laughed, "I guess you're right, I haven't." His uneasiness soothed, and he came back in without complaint.  
  
Gohan almost died as Bulma literally **STEPPED **out of her suit, putting the pink jumpsuit on the side, as she was now just had a long sleeved shirt, and jeans. He gulped, but she didn't seem to notice and put her apron on.  
  
They sat down for dinner, Trunks sitting, working on the school work Bulma assigned for him; Bulma starting the food, and Gohan helping Trunks.  
  
"Can I help you with that?" Gohan looked over his shoulder.  
  
Bulma shook her head, but knew he couldn't see her, "I'll be fine. Thank you so much for helping him on that."  
  
"It's no problem." He leaned back, remembering how his mother used to crack the whip on him. So he could go to a university. The universities, seeing that they had so many people in them, were one of the first things to go. The androids kept the malls-as long as they didn't get 'Boring'.  
  
"I hope you can stick around for a while now, Gohan, we hardly get to see you anymore." Bulma focused on the food, sighing, "I miss the good old days."  
  
_'The good old days with "Son-San"'_, Trunks mused.  
  
"Traveling to Namek was the all-time greatest adventure." She placed the bowl before Gohan, then gave Trunks his.   
  
Gohan smiled, excited-how long was it since he had a warm meal? A meal at all, "Mmm! Chew attack!"  
  
Trunks, laughing at his friend and 'Master', ate as well, "Chew attack!"  
  
"More, please." Gohan held her the bowl, his mouth still half full of food.  
  
She laughed, "Yup, like father like son."  
  
Trunks got _very _quiet.  
  
"Oh yeah? You think so?" Gohan raised a brow, this was a huge complement-to be like Son Gokou. He never thought he could compare!  
  
"Oh, definitely," She turned to the stove, "The way you eat, and the way you're so powerful, and gentle at the same time…"  
  
Trunks just stared at his mother. He did not like his friend being compared to _'Son-San'_ in any way, shape or form. Some honor.  
  
"And the way you look-" She giggled, like a little _school girl_. "Especially with that outfit on."  
  
Trunks' frown grew-she was indirectly complementing Gokou! Did she ever stop?  
  
"I guess I've always dreamed to be as strong as my dad." Gohan plated with the gi, his mother had sewn it for him, given it to him the day he ran off. "But yeah, it inspires me to wear his old colors."  
  
"Well, I know he'd be awfully proud to see what a strong man you've become."  
  
Gohan couldn't help blush, she referred to him as a man-he always thought she still thought of him as a boy. His thoughts traced back, but he refused to let them surface.  
  
"I've heard rumors that you've been fighting the androids all by yourself." Bulma's voice was worried now. "Is that true?"  
  
"Yes." He nodded.  
  
"Please be careful, and guess what? Now Trunks wants to fight the androids too," She sighed again, back to the caring mother-mode. "I wish you'd talk to him." She put his food before him, "He might listen to you."  
  
Trunks was silent most of that time, whether it be rage or just embarrassment.  
  
"Trunks, dear, are you done with your homework?"

He looked to his mother, standing over him, "Uh, yeah Mom. Thanks, Gohan."  
  
"No prob."  
  
Bulma finally sat down to eat herself, she had been starving, but only spooned a little by a little, "How long do you think the androids will be here, Gohan?"  
  
Gohan thought for a few moments, "I've watched the androids' patterns, they're starting to stay in certain areas for anywhere from a few weeks to a month or so and check out all its malls and amusement parks, anything really. They've come out here, so I'm guessing that since this is such a big area they're staying here for at least a month."  
  
"A month!" Bulma groaned, "I'm not sure we could survive another attack."  
  
He patted the table, "It's a sturdy place. Besides, I think they're intimidated by Capsule Corporation."  
  
Bulma blinked, "Why?"  
  
"Well, because the knowledge here is about as great, if not more, of their original creator."  
  
"Well then why haven't they tried to kill us yet?" Trunks asked, not able to stop himself, knowing it was what his mother was thinking too.  
  
"That's the thing I don't get."  
  
She remembered the first time they attacked around Capsule Corp. Vegeta was still there... that battle he won...  
  
Gohan mentally sighed. Did everything have to bring Vegeta up? He knew from just watching her when she was thinking about him. Her eyes lit up.  
  
He sighed, how could he change the subject?  
  
Vegeta was related to everything.

* * *

"Hey Kiddo, don't-cha think that it's time for bed?" Bulma ruffled Trunks' hair.  
  
"But Mom..." He protested.  
  
She chuckled, "Gohan will still be here tomorrow, Son."  
  
Trunks sighed. He could have made up any excuse in the book and she would have countered with something ten times more clever and never before seen. Head down, in a sad attempt for pity, he trudged off to bed.  
  
Gohan couldn't help but laugh, as he had played that game with his own mother several times. Of course something he was not used to was staying up with the 'adults' and talking.  
  
Bulma, who never noticed his anxiety, sat down and stared out the window, "He's a good kid."  
  
"I know it."  
  
She sighed, "I know you will."  
  
He blinked and turned to look at her, "Huh?"  
  
Laughing a little, not in an angry way and not in a happy one either, Bulma answered, "I'm not stupid, you know. He wants you to train him."  
  
"And?" Gohan tried to keep his voice cool.  
  
"And I know it's your duty to train him. He's the last Saiya-Jin left."  
  
Smirking, he asked, "_Well what if I don't go by what my duty is?"_  
  
Amused and tilting her head to look at him, her answer was, "You'll go by what you know you have to do. You knew since you became the last one left that this was going to happen."  
  
"So I did." He nodded. She read him like a book but why couldn't she see he loved her?  
  
"Take care of my boy, Gohan. He's all I have left."  
  
_'All I have left... all I have left... I have left... Have left... left...' _it rang over and over again, the echo almost unbearable. Gohan sat down next to her, "He's all the world has left."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I won't be here forever."  
  
"You act like you're quitting. You're so young... you have an entire life ahead of you..."  
  
Gohan thought for a minute. Knowing the androids, he didn't. But he said nothing.  
  
"And I want to be a part of it." She whispered as she moved into his lap, kissing him softly. He didn't bother to answer or protest. And even more so, he didn't protest when her hands lead his to the buttons of her shirt...

* * *

"Gohan?" Bulma softly hit the side of his head.  
  
"Huh? Wha?"  
  
She laughed, "You were just kinda out of it for a moment."  
  
Gohan blinked, "Oh. Just thinking... 'Bout the androids and stuff."  
  
"I asked you if you wanted any more." She pointed to his empty plate.  
  
Gohan shook his head and cursed his imagination.

* * *

O.o Gohan! Have you no shame? At least give Trunks a few minutes before you and Bulma start to make out! Bad conscience! Bad!

**Next Time: Training can get really intense and bring back bad memories, but you have to remember that there is always hope left.**

Reviewer's Corner: 

Angel: I'm glad you liked it. This one was very hard for me to do. I did it to the Americanized version of THoT because I wanted to be able to type as I heard. It took me a very long time to get it all down, and now I think I can recite it in my sleep. Scary. Also, I noticed something in this chapter: Trunks always seems to frown when Gokou comes up. That's why I wanted to bring that to our attention. I'm thinking that's going to have a lot to do with some of Trunks' actions later in the story.

Mariah Ashley: Thank you. Like I said, I try and update something every night, but because of editing, I might not actually upload it until a little later because I want everything to have the same format and to have it all cleaned up for first-time readers. So anyway, I am doing my best, so please be patient.

Vegeta Goddess: There is gonna be a lot of resentment towards Vegeta from Gohan for obvious reasons, though later when Juunana and Bulma are an obvious fling to Gohan, someone else might also get a little bit of resentment.

Celeb Ryu: As for Spirits Within, I cringe to think about updating it. Heh, I'll work on it tonight. The thing is that I have A LOT to go through and little energy. Let's hope I get ice cream... Lots and lots of ice cream... Oh, and GI is gonna be done to "Torn"'s dance remix next chapter, so we'll have a bit of T/P going on there. And... uhh... oh, thanks for liking my story! Heh... that sounded... odd...


	5. Harness

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Five: Harness**  
  
  
"Hey Kiddo, don't-cha think that it's time for bed?" Bulma ruffled Trunks' hair. Again?  
  
"But Mom..." He protested.  
  
She chuckled, "Gohan will still be here tomorrow, Son."  
  
_'Déjà vu?'_  
  
He watched as the scene happened again... Trunks trudging out. Everything  
  
But no, it was not déjà vu, because after Trunks left, Bulma stood up, "I have things to check up on in the lab. Keep an old lady company, would ya?"  
  
Gohan blinked. He saw no old woman. He saw a blue rose in from of him, tired and proud, "Sure thing, Bulma." He secretly beamed.  
  
What wonderful things he saw in her lab. Mostly, she claimed, were old. But they were so new to him. He knew he had been away from technology for a while, but... this was amazing. And it wasn't that he couldn't comprehend how they all worked. Each, complex and beautiful in their own way-like her. But they were no enigma to him. Bulma, however, was.  
  
She sighed, "Most of my good ones were destroyed."  
  
"You could rebuild it if you wanted."  
  
"But the purpose of science is to build a better tomorrow for the people."  
  
He patted her shoulder, "There's hope left. Always hope left."

* * *

It was earlier than six in the morning when he began meditating at the beach side. He'd have to have time to train himself before Trunks found him.  
  
But now, to clear his thoughts of Trunks, Bulma, Capsule Corporation. Just think.  
  
_Androids. Death. Kuririn. Piccolo. Death. Pain. Innocence. People. Death._  
  
The anger, hurt, rage, pain-it swirled within him. But this power, this awesome power, he had to control it. Leash it.  
  
If he could not control it, he did not deserve it!  
  
_To be Piccolo's apprentice.__  
  
__Fight alongside his father..._  
  
_Kuririn's friend..._  
  
He growled, and the meditation stopped and the training began.  
  
He forgot everything, the rage was too great.  
  
_He couldn't.....__  
  
__Take it..._  
  
_Couldn't....._  
  
_Harness it....._  
  
He shrieked to the still black sky, and all was white.  
  
He went Super Saiya-Jin, again, yes, but the only two that rivaled his strength were the two he was destined to destroy.

* * *

Trunks woke up early, he knew is mother was still asleep. Good.  
  
He couldn't risk waking her.  
  
Throwing on jeans and a Capsule Corp. shirt, he went to look for Gohan.  
  
But Gohan wasn't there. "Maybe he's outside?"  
  
But he wasn't there either.  
  
He sighed and damned his friend's sadistic jokes.  
  
He would have to catch Gohan before he could be trained by him.

* * *

Woah! Lots of reviews! No notes!

**Next Chapter: Sweet memories plague Bulma as she realizes that now that her son is old enough to train, being alone is something she will have to get used to as Gohan lectures Trunks on tactics while battling the androids. **

Reviewer's Corner: 

Bolo: I am shocked at so many reviews for chapter four! Wow... It's scary. I hope the R/C doesn't end up longer than the chapters. That's happened to me before and I got yelled at by a reviewer and it hurt my fragile feelings... Okay, I more or less got annoyed and told her in the R/C if she didn't like it she could... Oh! Yeah! You reviewed me! Heh, umm... Thanks... for reading my story... and thanks... for liking it! Or, well, loving it as you put it!

S. Wayne: Did I ever tell anyone that I think the name "Wayne" is just the coolest that ever did exist? Okay, I'm a huge Batman fan and a freak. You'll have to forgive me... Heh... I liked the contrast where everyone has something bottled up inside and they hide it so well. Gohan's deep love for Bulma, Trunks' protectiveness and curiousity towards his father and his resentment towards Gokou, and Bulma is slowly going insane from worry over her son though she tries to act like she's calm. I didn't wanna show too much of what Bulma was thinking the first few chapters because I wanted you guys to focus on the Trunks/Vegeta/Gokou and Gohan/Bulma/Vegeta things going on and sorta get the implications of how Bulma was feeling. I also tried not to make her too seemingly obsessed with Vegeta after all of that time. I'm hoping I did well, but I mean an old friend that's a fighter and a Saiya-Jin would bring him up. I wanted to note that she never seemed to remember him with Trunks there in the story. Oh, God, this review response is a monstrosity! Heh! Bye! Read more! Enjoy!

GX-Silver: Yeah. When I first got this idea, I was actually thinking about a fic that is kinda between Cell and Gokou's death and the whole High School stuff where Gohan actually goes a little insane and Chichi, who can't control him anymore, finally gives in and lets Bulma take him. While Vegeta makes him twisted and cruel, Gohan can't help but want to act on his childish crush and holds resentment to his new master though he respects, and in a way, adores him. I actually will write that when I'm done with this one, but some how, one thing lead to another and I wanted to write this first which was not as dark, though it will have dark parts later. I really wanted to show how something as big as the whole androids and the killing and Gokou's death and that whole ordeal effects Gohan and how he looks at women to the point where the only one he's interested is the only one other than his mother that he'd ever actually gotten to know. Kinda like a crush on the teacher that never went away.

Raven Pan: Okay, I really need to stop with the super-long review responses. I loved portraying them this way. It really is a different take. There are a lot of Mirai Trunks/Juuhachi or Mirai Gohan/Juuhachi or Mirai Gohan/Mirai Trunks fics out there but I never really cared for many of the Mirai Bulma/Mirai Gohan ones or even the Mirai Juunana/Mirai Bulma ones cause those were mainly her only being with him because he somehow reminded her of Vegeta or him raping or something. I wanted something... different. A bit deeper.

Vegeta Goddess: Yes, I can be funny at times. It really does surprise me. I don't know why I can't write humor fics. I just think that when people do that most of the time they have to let go of trying to actually write well and go for more crazy and random stuff, and some people have that talent, but when I make the attempt... It amuses twelve year olds, but I just find it embarrassing. Oh! Yeah! God, I hate it when I start to babble... "Brilliant"... She called my chapter brilliant! Hear that people?!

Angel: One can only try. Though, being the review whore I am, I generally tend to lean towards the fic with the most reviews to update. I dunno why, it just... motivates me.

Pammy: That is too sweet of you to say. Addictions can be good, ne? Now, I would love to babble, but I think my R/C is gonna be as long as my chapter... Eh...

Celeb Ryu: On the Mirai Gohan note, I believe it. Keep on reading! (That sounded corny...)

JDCHS: Very original/Angst? That is... so cool! I am glad to be original. Very proud of the attempts I make and if it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't be the sick writer I am today. Thank you. Thank you all.


	6. Lectures

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Six: Lectures**  
  
Bulma sighed when she woke up, knowing she was in a completely empty house. It was too risky to go shopping, no telling where the androids were, besides she did go just the other day and she'd live if she forgot a thing or two. The last thing she needed, as a mother and, sighing, she knew she would hopefully be supporting poor Gohan for a while, the very last thing on her list was to be going on one of her shopping trips. Not that she had been on one since Gokou...  
  
She tilted her head down in a slight respect as she always did when she thought of the tragic death of her beloved Gokou: loving and selfless friend, father, savior, and husband. She never knew she thought so much of the naïve man until he was gone. Not even the first time he died did she realize that she cared so much for him and owed so much to him. Why, when she was a teenager she had less than no moral values. She would have killed him the very first day she met him, a little kid, for that one dragon ball. To get what? She frowned, not remembering well.  
  
But he changed that. When she tried to teach him the cruelties and realities of the world time and time again, he proved to her that the little kindnesses and selflessness mattered more so than anything. The precious adventures they had each had a little moral to them, and even though Gokou himself didn't really care much for Bulma's moods and quick temper, he soon grew attached to her as she did him. Though even when he hit adulthood, he managed to make insulting comments without meaning for them to be so, and she still to this day would chew him out for them if they were bad enough. And then he would find a way to make fun of her temper after she yelled at him. He never quite worked that way with Chichi, but Bulma smiled, she knew every reason why.  
  
She missed dear old Chichi. Age hadn't been quite as kind to her and she grew much faster mentally and physically. _'Of course, that's what having children does to you,' _she mused. Bulma herself found it hard to loose the excess weight from Trunks' birth. It had been hard on the woman who was quite fond of her looks back in the days to loose it but she was quite satisfied with Trunks as the result and sacrifice. Like the motherliness from within suddenly shown up, and she didn't resent the beautiful baby boy her looks as much as almost everyone would have thought she would have. It was actually dedicating herself to Trunks that helped her to survive this entire mess. And she was sure that it was Gohan that did Chichi, but now that Gohan was, as much as even Bulma herself hated to admit it, a man, there was little pampering she could give him. She closed her eyes, just trying to feel the pain that Chichi must have felt every night, wondering, hoping, begging that the last thing in the world that she had would be alive, all right. To live to see the sunrise and to still be in one piece by the time the sun set.  
  
Standing up, still caught in her thoughts she put her place in Chichi's once again, but Trunks in Gohan's for a different scenario. When, for there was no longer an if, Trunks really did start to fight the androids, where would she be? Broken and upset, of course. She strongly disapproved with him, but she knew she had to let him go. Why couldn't she have had a little girl? With blood in her veins that did not come from a man of a race with such a passion to fight? She knew that she would probably be living in even more fear. Her arrogant face and her proud nature had kept her from fearing the androids all too much. Maybe it was her very tongue, which was ever so hard to hold when she was angry, especially when there was no good thing to say about those horrid androids, that got Trunks to do it. Maybe it wasn't the Saiya-Jin in him, but her genes. Of course it was hard to tell because there were so few yet so many differences between Bulma and Vegeta's personalities. The biggest one was really strength and love to fight; and of course their history differences. Sighing once more, she walked out of the room briskly.  
  
She had no need, really, to get dressed in decent clothes, though later she knew she would. She didn't mind about Trunks being exposed to her so much as Gohan. Modesty wasn't really quite a virtue in her. If someone saw her, especially a male, she had a mind to yell at them, even hit them and call them a pervert then walk away muttering, 'Men', as she used to usually do. But now she was so much more tranquil that the old fire that burned in her, that passion just died. It made her sad, she used to love herself even with her faults, which were at their fewest.  
  
Locked in her thoughts, Bulma walked down the halls and through her memories, the past. They weren't so golden when they happened, but now she didn't know what she'd do for just one more adventure with Gokou, one more fight with Yamucha, one more remark about Kuririn's baldness, one more _anything_. She wished the fighters had lived to see Trunks, and Gohan, of course, grow up. What fine young men they were. She groaned. Bulma was too homesick, you could call it, to want to eat. With a heavy heart, she lay down on the couch and closed her eyes.  
  
Suppose it was really without reason that she bothered getting up, like all the other days. She always ended up deep in thoughts, heart sick, tired, mad, sad, and alone. But this was the first day of Trunks' absence, she already felt as if this was the way she'd been living for all of her life.  
  
And maybe, just in another way, it was.

* * *

"I thought I'd see you some time or another."  
  
Trunks panted, bending down and his palms resting on his knee caps, "Yeah," He coughed, "You didn't tell me that you weren't going to tell me where you were. Should have prepared me," He sarcastically added, "I would have been up at three."  
  
Gohan shrugged, "Every day you'll have to find me. Try to get used to my normal state of energy and use that as your guide. As you advance it'll become easier. Reading kis is one of the first and most important parts of fighting and yet it includes no fighting. You already know that you have to have as much information about where you're fighting and who you're fighting before you just jump into a fight."  
  
Trunks diligently listened, "But what if they don't wait for you to check out the scenery?"  
  
"Well, then it'd be in the best case that you get them to play cat and mouse. If it's an area by buildings and where a lot of people could possibly be, then you should make it your first obligation to get away from that area and to a place where you can fight without interruptions or worrying in the back of your mind that people might get hurt. Amazingly enough, this happens more than a lot, and cat and mouse is one of the androids' favorite games, so you'll usually have no problem with luring them away."  
  
Nodding, he sat down on a rock, crossing his legs, "Always make sure there's no one around to get hurt, got it."  
  
"Also, they can use people as their advantages. I've known those fiends to take hostages just to toy with me and see what they could get me to do."  
  
"Did the people always turn out safe?"  
  
Gohan's fist, loosely hanging at his side clinched in a sudden burst of anger in him, "Not always, Trunks. I won't lie to you. It's my fault a lot of people have died that way, and a horrible way it is. Damn those androids."  
  
The boy really hadn't expected it to, and wasn't quite sure why he asked at all, "Gohan," his impatience and yearning to actually fight rising and giving him the strength to protest to the teaching habits, "So far we've done nothing considered training."  
  
Gohan's eyes sharpened in sarcasm and amusement, "But we have, Trunks. I know you think you know a lot of this and it seems to be common sense issues, but believe me you loose a lot of that on the battle field. I know."  
  
Submitting, Trunks listened again, "Alright. So a lot of it comes down to the location." He repeated, "If there are people there, get the androids out to a place where there aren't any people to fight. Reasons for this," He added, bored with the material, "are not to hurt people and to make sure that the androids can't use the objective against you."  
  
Gohan could have laughed at the boy, but he sighed, "Okay. Well the basic reason we're fighting is to defend and don't you forget it. No matter what they say and who they threaten you with, it might be personal but you have to forget that sometimes. It's all a weight. While sometimes these emotions fuel you with what you need to get the upper hand in battles, they also blind you so that you use it stupidly. Keep calm and clear no matter what."  
  
The lecture was more than boring for the young teen, but out of respect and because he was somewhat used to lectures by now, he nodded and noted every word that Gohan said.  
  
"Now, your real training will start tomorrow because you came so late today. We'll review and I'll give you a few more of these pointers and then I'll get to training you." Gohan nodded, "Before we head home, here's a little on energy and how to master reading and seeing it: Sometimes the physical plain can't hold enough and if you think in the mental plain, you see so much more."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I'm saying if you can read actual energy, you'll be able to see what the blind eye reading only what's before them cannot."  
  
Trunks nodded, still very confused but keeping silent.  
  
"Reading and seeing energy is easy. Piccolo explained it in the best way, I guess. Look hard with unblinking eyes and concentrate to see the energy. You might barely get a glimpse of their physical form if you're still new to it, but as you progress and get stronger and sharper in every way then it'll be more than easy to keep up with. Feel the energy, see it, feel it, hear it, fighting relies on a lot of the senses and keeping in tact with them. It's not blind fists being thrown everywhere, you know. And though you might think while you're on the battle field that you won't remember a word of this, you will. So spend the rest of the day trying to get comfortable with my regular ki level. If you try hard, and because of your special circumstances, I know it should be easy to get down in a few hours max."  
  
"Special circumstances?"  
  
"Your _race_." Gohan didn't dare mention Vegeta. He didn't want to ever hear or say that name again. Watching the young Vegeta get up, he sighed to himself. Why was it that he had to train the son of the man he hated most… and the woman he loved most?

* * *

O.o;;;; So many paragraphs...

**Next Time: Bulma, you've been acting a little differently lately, and Trunks is wondering why. Gohan's finding it hard to contain his crush but is still training Trunks with no outside complaint. But inside he's worried. What will happen when the androids really do attack? They've been laying low since the previous day, but they never do for long.**  
  
Reviewer's Corner: 

Vegeta Goddess: Yes, I know, last chapter was a short bit. Believe me, it'll start to get up to 8-16 pages a pop. And you know my style and how I love short chapters too. Too short, people complain and say it doesn't flow, too long and people get bored cause it drags. You tell me what's better..... I think you spelled it right. Not that you should be asking me. My spelling is crap.

Chewy-Baka: n.n;; I'm a fisherwoman and I caught a Chewy-Baka!

Raven Pan: Eventually, I will make good training and fight scenes, but I think I hate writing those more than I hate writing lemons...

Seth: Gohan/Bulma is actually one of the more well known odd-couples. Now, I don't really consider Gokou/Bulma an odd couple for a few reasons: One, after all the thousands of fics that could very well rival the B/V empire, I'd think that it just kinda goes against all that is odd-coupling. Odd-coupling is kinda always the underdog, the couple that people write off as close to impossible and never give much attention to. So among couples like Gokou/Bura, Gohan/Bulma, Vegeta/Pan (I like odd couples... but I seriously do not support that one), and other ones, Gohan/Bulma and Vegeta/Pan are probably the only two that people would read. For this fic, I tried very hard to make it flow well and drift from being a whole bunch of word-for-word THoT to a story but not make it too outrageous.

Celeb Ryu: It is always good that you get to review me.

Sano: Oh, if you think she's having a fit now, wait until Trunks gets kidnapped... OH! I've said too much already...


	7. Worthy

**Blue Roses****  
  
**Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Seven: Worthy**  
  
When Trunks snuck in, Bulma knew it would have been out of character to not pretend to be worried, but she couldn't say that she knew where he had been. She was grateful to Gohan, for her pampered son hadn't a scratch on his body, just looked a little worn out and tired. She yearned for the exact details of what had happened, but she had to quiet down the curious nature that all scientists had. "Hello, Trunks, Dear, where have you been all day?"  
  
Trunks, in fact, had expected her to ask. He frowned as she looked at her. Her tone was so tired; she was lying on the couch and looked as if she hadn't gotten up all day. Why was she so upset? He felt so sorry for his mother, and that he was so angry when she was talking about _'Son San'_- although... He frowned as he tried to justify it... just a little anyway. Why didn't she ever talk just a little bit about Vegeta? He yelled at himself on the inside, _'Stop it! Can't you see she's upset and all you can think about is why she hurts too much to talk about some... some dead guy!?!?'_ But as much as he tried to make himself pretend like he didn't care about Vegeta, the more he really wanted to know and the less he meant it. Dead guy. He could never think of his father just as a dead guy. "Mom, you alright?"  
  
Bulma blinked, "Huh? Now Trunks, stop changing the subject. I'll go get the dishes ready for dinner." And, _'While you tell me where you were' _was implied.  
  
Trunks sighed, Gohan promised to come in behind him not to make it seem suspicious although he would have been more comfortable, but he followed her and did not answer the question. He usually didn't answer anyway; so hoped pretending that it was just a normal day would be good enough for his mother. At least until Gohan could help him.  
  
In the same daze that made Trunks so uncomfortable, Bulma set the table and sighed as she stretched over Trunks, looking towards the door, "Where is that boy?" She murmured. So Gohan wasn't a boy, anymore, but that didn't mean that she couldn't spoil him just a little bit. She owed it to poor Chichi, up, worrying all night, to make sure he got enough to eat and was safe while he was under her roof.  
  
The two continued their own private worries and ate in silence. No talk about _'Son-San'._  
  
Trunks was grateful.

* * *

Gohan sighed and sat down. So he would wait about an hour and train himself a little more. But he didn't want to train. He felt like he was letting so many people down because of it. Like he should have been training to beat them instead of sitting there and thinking about some woman that would never look at him in any way. Maybe she would respect him, but he would never really be a man to her.  
  
He felt childish and stupid, like a teenaged boy falling in love with a teacher. It was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She was so much older than he was, she was older than both of his parents!  
  
He sighed, same stupid argument every stupid time he thought about her. Getting up, he forced his thoughts of everything but Piccolo and Kuririn away.  
  
_'They're dead...' _He taunted himself, _'Killed at the hand of two artificial devils!' _Gohan looked down, flinching, _'Those two won't stop killing and killing just because it makes them happy! Their favorite game is seeing how many people they can kill, ten points per human, ten points per life! These people, they've never even had half a chance! Never! It's my job to protect them! To avenge Piccolo, and Kuririn, and all these people, these innocent people that never even had a chance! To kill them, to, to, there's so many horrible things that those two have done! Where can I start? I have to destroy them! I have to get stronger! I can't let Trunks down! I have to be worthy of being called his master; I have to be worthy of being my father's son! I have to be worthy! I have to become stronger! That's all that matters! Liberating this forsaken world is on my shoulders now and I have no time to be a child about it! Now! Go! Go! Go! Push it foreword, Gohan, force this pain out, make this pain energy, use this energy, use the pain, the one thing that these androids always leave behind to go against them, to create strength, to make sure they're gone, for once and for all! To end this destruction! For mankind! For Father! For Mother, and Piccolo, and Kuririn, and Bulma! For all of you, this is my responsibility! I will prove myself! I will make things right again as my father before me has done so many times! I will succeed! Failure is not an option!'__  
_  
The next thing Gohan knew, his hair, golden, was turning darker, darker, jet black, and he never knew the dirt tasted so bitterly welcome when focus was getting so black.

* * *

o.O Poor Gohan.

**Next time: While Gohan loves Bulma so deeply, she only seems to treat him as if he is her own son. And, as for her real son... a sudden change in attitude takes over him, causing the hero Gohan to worry. **

Reviewer's Corner:

Chewy-Baka: Beautiful? Thank you. That is too sweet. Yes, eventually it will be G/B/J, but there will be some G/B fluff here and there.

Sailor Universe/PMRGChik: I'm glad you love it. I shall update as soon as I can. You can't believe how many versions of these edits I've gone through, and I'm only up to chapter seven.

Trunks'Grl: Why does Juu have to be in it? -Shrugs- For plot reasons, because he is, because that's the whole gist of the plot? Yanno, Gohan and Bulma get together secretly, Juunana finds out and not only does he have a soft spot for Bulma, he wants to use this against Gohan to ultimately defeat him in battle?

Vegeta Goddess: I'm loved! Oh, God, what's gonna happen when I finish it?! -Sniffles- That's so sad to think about, though, you know? I hope you'll like the G/B/V fic I do after this. I think I gave a little bit of the plot away in one of the R/C's a few chapters back...

Celeb Ryu: Yes, it is terribly hard to do the Vegeta bashing. But the Gokou/Trunks thing is really fun to do.

Sakura-Chan: Telling me that I got the traits and responses down was probably one of the biggest compliments ever. I try very hard with this fic and it takes a while to think about what they would do. My usual stlye is that I want to leave things to what just pops out of my head on impulse, but sometimes, the impluse doesn't want to work, and that's usually why it takes a while for me to update. I don't want to write it until I can actually see it, dream about it, act it out. I'm a Role-Player for DBZ, I do all the female characters, specializing in Bura and Buruma. I did a lot of Mirai Buruma at one time, so that is actually wonderful practice. I love RPing Mirai-Time to warm me up for this fic.

Saki: Believe me, later in the fic, towards the 20s, Gohan will get VERY protective of Bulma and Juunana will take advantage of that. Gohan's obsession with her grows with every moment they are together and when they are ripped apart after being together for an incredibly short amount of time...


	8. Agitation

**Blue Roses****  
  
**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Eight: Agitation****  
**  
When Gohan regained consciousness, it was pitch black out. "Man..." He grunted, sitting up. He just sort of... froze. The energy was so much and he fell down.  
  
Rubbing his head, he sat up and sighed, "I hope everything's been alright while I've been out."

* * *

"Trunks, where's Gohan?" Bulma looked at him through the table.  
  
"Dunno, Mom."  
  
"That's odd..."  
  
Trunks looked up from his book, "Why? He's probably out training."  
  
"It's not like him to just pick up and leave," Bulma murmured, ignoring him, "And, knowing the Son men, he would have at least come back to eat..." She picked up his plate, sighing as she put it on the counter. She looked at Trunks, "You seem agitated, you alright son?"  
  
"Just a little tired." Trunks nodded, trying to ignore the name 'Son'. He tried to think of a way for his father to be addressed in some sort of way but gave up, going back to doing the equations his mother set out for him.  
  
"I see." Bulma nodded, turning on the T.V. "Let's see if Gohan's prophecy is right."  
  
"You mean you think he's out fighting the androids?"  
  
"It's a possibility though I wish it weren't." Bulma sighed.  
  
There was a knock at the door and Trunks jumped up to get it, _'Great timing, Gohan. She was about to flip!' _Opening the door, he looked at his battered friend, "Gohan! Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, Trunks, just fine. I just pushed myself a little far while I was training this afternoon. I guess I knocked myself out for a good few hours."  
  
Bulma frowned upon hearing the conversation, "You're going to the lab right now."  
  
"Bulma, I'm fine, I swear."  
  
She tapped her foot on the floor and Gohan sighed, defeated once again, "Fine. Just a little check up should do me good, I suppose."  
  
"Good to hear." Bulma smiled and nodded to Trunks, "Get him situated and I'll warm up his dinner, Gohan, I don't want you over-working yourself anymore. I understand your need to train, but what good can you do if your preparations for battle include taking up most of your energy?"  
  
Gohan laughed, "I've heard this one before. Mom gave me this lecture all the time when she first found out."  
  
"Really? I'd think she'd really put her foot down on it on that one."  
  
"My fighting the androids?" Gohan flinched, "Well, she did, but after several weeks of arguing, she gave me what is close to her approval."  
  
"I'm not sure I approve of it myself." Another sigh from Bulma, "I just wish he was here," She wistfully murmured, "It would all be so much different."  
  
"Yeah." Gohan looked down for a moment of respect, but Trunks had begun dragging him along towards what he supposed was the hall where the med lab was located, "Slow down, Buddy." He laughed.  
  
"Oh. Sorry." Trunks grumbled, opening the door, "Well here it is, good luck."  
  
Gohan blinked, "'Good Luck'? What for?"  
  
"You'll see." With that, the boy walked out.  
  
It was a few moments later that Bulma came in, shaking her head with a bowl of something that smelled pleasant enough and was hot, which was all that Gohan cared about at the moment, "That boy... Oh, here's your food, Gohan. Eat it very slowly, it's not only hot but it's not good for you to eat so fast in your condition."  
  
Under Bulma's strict eye, he ate as slowly as he could, though whenever Bulma thought he even lifted the spoon too fast she would make him slow down. _'Now I know why Trunks wished me good luck.'__  
_  
Trying to think of some sort of conversation, Gohan looked up at her, "Sorry to have worried you guys."  
  
"You need to be more careful. I mean it, Gohan."  
  
He sighed. He once would have done anything for her attention, even if it was in a maternal way and here it was and he wasn't in the least bit happy. Sure, she considered him a man and she had treated other men that were older than he was the same way in the past, but why did he feel like such a little kid? Did his father ever have this problem with his mother? He wished someone would tell him what to do but the only other male around was Trunks. You couldn't just ask the kid where the key to his mother's heart was.  
  
So he nodded like a little juvenile and ate, slowly as molasses as she commanded, and then lay down.  
  
"I don't think you're going to die, you can go now."  
  
He blinked but ignored it and picked up his dishes, leaving without a goodnight, "I guess I'll be putting these in the sink and checking up on Trunks before I head off to bed." He felt odd about staying there, but didn't have much of a choice.  
  
Placing his soiled dishes in the sink and rinsing them off, he walked down another hallway that he had seen Trunks go down, assuming it to be his room and knocked on one of the doors. "Trunks?"  
  
"Other side." He heard Bulma's voice, casual and calm murmur through the door.  
  
He blushed and gulped, "Oh. Sorry."  
  
"No problem," Her voice sang out, and he quickly turned for the door that he assumed was Trunks', knocking on that door.  
  
"It's open."  
  
He nodded and entered, looking at Trunks, playing some sort of video game on his bed, "Hey."  
  
"Hey." He muttered, in daze.  
  
"Have you been working on what we've talked about."  
  
"Well, I've been _trying _to but you haven't been here for most of the day so..."  
  
Gohan blinked under the sarcasm of the boy, but shrugged it off, "I see. Well tomorrow I expect you early so-"  
  
"I'll be there on time." He nodded.  
  
By this time, Gohan was getting a little short tempered, but he nodded, "Alright..."  
  
"Alright."  
  
What could have ruined the boy's mood so fast? Was that why Bulma had been muttering about him when she came in the med lab with his food? "Night then, I suggest you get your rest sometime too."  
  
"_Can't miss you 'till you go."_  
  
Frowning, Gohan had to ask, "What's wrong, Trunks?"  
  
An agitated sigh, he set off the game and put it to the side, "Nothing. Why?"  
  
"You seem upset."  
  
"I'm not upset."  
  
"I didn't say you were... you just seem a little-"  
  
"I'm _fine_," Trunks said in a hurry, "But you're right, I should get off to bed so I'll see you tomorrow morning. Night Gohan."  
  
Gohan frowned, nodding and leaving, but on his way out, he promised he'd get down to the bottom of what this sudden attitude was all about.

* * *

**Next Time: Trunks takes a moment to think of his love for his mother when he catches a certain Saiya-Jin sneaking out to train. As he follows him, Trunks cynically wonders if the power of a Super-Saiya-Jin is enough. **  
  
Check these people out: Vegeta Goddess, Celeb Ryu, a good friend of mine and such, really good writer. I have to say the same about Vturnip, she's got a really funny fic about Vegeta and Bulma switching sexes. People, would I lie to you? 

Reviewer's Corner: 

Vegeta Goddess: -Claps hands- Reviews! Hehe. I almost feel sorry for Gohan... He's trying so hard to keep it all to himself but he feels so much..

Chewy-Baka: Never fear! Updates shall be here!

Celeb Ryu: Yeah, you mentioned that Gohan thing before. Once again, it doesn't surprise me. I know how you are when it comes to Gohan. Oh, and yes, I know I'm a genius. You are too, Love.

Akasha: I shall keep your threat well in mind and I am quite glad that you enjoy my writing, Queen of the Damned.

Impulsive Thoughts: It's good to hear that this is deep enough so that you can really think about it and stuff. Yay!

Mia: That actually will be adressed, and pretty soon, too, but not exactly to Bulma.

VTurnip: I adore Gohan in this fic. He's the hero in the shadows of a Saint but while wishing to be as his father, he also wishes to have the dark traits Vegeta carries that caused Bulma to love him so deeply. Gohan just got too emotional and passed out, don't worry, he's perfectly fine... As fine as he gets anyway. I think he's got some issues in the head, though..


	9. Enough?

**Blue Rose**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Nine: Enough?**

When Gohan woke up, his third day at the Capsule Corporation, it was still black out. Bulma was sleeping noiselessly from what he could tell and Trunks was probably still resting up for his first day of "real" training.  
  
He sighed, putting on the same gi and slipping out without a sound. He wouldn't wake his love up from her pleasant dreams of -him- for anything.  
  
It was a cold morning, hard to see, and wasn't really his preferred climate for hard training, but it would have to do. He would be expecting Trunks in two hours-no more, no less and he hoped that even under the circumstances of the night before, Trunks mastered locating beings by ki.  
  
He sighed and closed his eyes, crossing his legs in a meditating style and just thinking for a few moments, gathering his strength before the rush and rage that seemed to hurl out of him while he was training.

* * *

Though Trunks said he would go to bed, it wasn't until hours later that he fell asleep with the lights still on and his game still playing. He'd locked the door after Gohan, but when he woke up, he was covered, his game was saved and put on his desk, and his light was off.  
  
He couldn't help but sheepishly smile, "Mom...."  
  
He hated it when she unlocked his door and went in his room, but it was nights like this where he was thankful to her more than anything-for the simplest of things, as well. She was a most extraordinary woman. He sighed, staring into the darkness.  
  
Since Gohan had come, she had been acting so oddly, so old, so tired. Or maybe it was since he asked her to fight. Maybe it was there all along.  
  
Maybe it was pride that stopped him from showing how grateful he was. Maybe it was her few flaws that turned out to mean the most.  
  
But, it was one of those soft moments where everything was still and he still remembered that night, the one he caught her crying. She never cried like that for anyone else. He shook his head, angry with himself; he gave her too little credit.  
  
It hurt him to lie to her, but what he did was for her. At first he thought it would be for himself, the people, or even his father. But now he realized that he had one person in the world left, and that was she. He would be fighting for her.  
  
It was a thrilling bolt of electric excitement as he thought of battling the androids, not as it were a game, but he looked to it as a challenge that he was the only one left because of his roots to take up. He knew that Gohan would be the one to slay them, but Gohan was flesh and blood, and he needed help.  
  
Furthermore, he couldn't just sit there and watch it. He wouldn't stand for it. He would offer whatever he had to Gohan now.  
  
_'Speak of the devil,_' He lay back, silent as he watched a shadow pass his bedroom. Gohan.  
  
So he thought he would creep out again. Well, Trunks wouldn't let him. He wanted to witness his power for himself, the power that he knew Gohan hid from him before-this Super Saiya-Jin, this level of achievement, what was so wonderful about it?  
  
He knew it was supposedly a strength beyond imagine from the little his mother could tell him of it, but other than that he knew nothing.  
  
Trunks just knew that Gohan would be training himself while he waited for him! He knew it. There was a chance that he would witness the power of the Super Saiya-Jin himself.  
  
And another question he wanted answered: Why did everyone consider it the key to victory if Gohan had achieved the level and it still didn't seem to be enough-yet?

* * *

I'm backies! O.o Well it wasn't by popular demand, but I got inspirited. I'm not leaving anytime soon. O.o that IS a good thing. right?

**Next Time: Trunks can do little but watch in amazement as he sees Gohan transform into a Super Saiya-Jin. Once skeptical of the power, it also comes to mind if this type of power wasn't enough to beat the androids, what could? But quickly, he has a new worry?: Surviving Gohan's training. **

Reviewer's Corner:

OuttaDaLoop: 0% OOCNESS! WOO! I can't say if Gohan dies or not. I honestly can't.

Sailor Universe/PMRGChik: Good, good!

Vegeta Goddess: You can put any of my fics on your site. I dun care. If you need files, whatever, email me and I'll do what I can to send them to you. That goes for pretty much everyone as long as I get my credit and stuff, yanno.

Impulsive Thoughts: Yes, blackmail can be quite rewarding, but you know you love pushing that button and spending a few minutes of your time kissing my ass and telling me how much you love my story and want me to continue.

Celeb Ryu: I shall work on GI if I can. Tonight SW. Maybe GI. And you're welcome for the add. You deserved it.

Raven Pan: FREAKY AND COOL AT THE SAME TIME! Woo!

Chewy-Baka: Thanks. It is pretty good, huh? Hehe.

Aerith: Thank you. I tried to pull a completely different style with this fic, and so far... it's working beautifully.

Mia: I think there was a compliment somewhere in there. It figures that you're not signed or you don't have a writing account because after a few months writing under you'll realize the importance of reviews. Please, do not tell me what to do and what to leave in my notes, especially if it's only a joke left as I am not a lifeless corpse and I do have a sense of humor and I do think it's funny that people such as Impulsive Thoughts would leave humorous responses to those notes and not think me serious and needy.

Xen The Wonder Dog: Hey! Thanks for the nice review! Keep reading!

VTurnip: Heh, I actually have a lot of fun writing Trunks. It's a good way to vent when you're not Gokou's number one fan. And I'm thinking Trunks is gonna attack Gohan or something when he finds out, and yes, Gohan will let it slip eventually. The fling will start painfully soon... But don't think it'll last long..


	10. Training

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Ten: Training****  
**  
  
Trunks couldn't stop himself. When the shadows passed and he was sure Gohan wouldn't find him, he slipped out and followed him.  
  
Gohan was right. Trunks did learn quickly enough how to sort out kis. At first he didn't want to, but he was happy he finally did. It was easier than Gohan made it seem. Energy was right there, you just had to think about it until you didn't have to. He didn't get to that point yet, and was still a little uncomfortable using it, but then again, this is the first time he used his new ability to actually find someone.  
  
He sighed as he peered out into the night, "Where _is _he?"

* * *

Gohan looked around himself, the energy around him seemed to sizzle and spark. It would be good when Trunks was strong enough to get into serious spars with him. It was always easier to train that way, when training by yourself it seemed to limit your powers, and your mind and feelings seemed to take over. When he used to spar with Piccolo or his father, as far behind them as he was, they would always make him focus on them, he didn't have time to be upset.  
  
But they were dead.  
  
'Dead' was such a cold word. It hurt. Bad. But he had to remind himself every time he trained. He didn't want to think about it, but it always seemed to come up.  
  
It wasn't fair.  
  
Of course, nothing was.

* * *

Trunks crouched down in the grass, staring at his master through the thick blades. It was almost hard to recognize him, so hard it scared him. He was deep in thought, Trunks noted, but also had the ability of concentrating on his energy. Suddenly, he had a thought: Maybe Gohan wasn't as dedicated to his training as he thought.  
  
If he was, wouldn't he stop thinking and train?  
  
_'When I fight, I would never let my stupid thoughts get in the way. Maybe that's what's been keeping Gohan from defeating the androids.' _Trunks crossed his arms, still staring at his friend.  
  
Gohan started to twitch, literally shake. The little yellowish waves surrounding him, that Trunks supposed was energy that was so strong it turned into form, seemed to turn thicker. Suddenly, Gohan was gone. There were little flashes everywhere.  
  
Trunks gaped, he saw the little flickers of energy everywhere, but no Gohan. And he felt what he supposed was Gohan there, but it increased so much, it was petrifying. Maybe he had underestimated Gohan? Maybe he was concentrating?  
  
It was a blur, it was scary, all he heard were grunts and all he could see were flashes of light. Was this what it would look like if he fought with the androids? Would he be able to handle it?  
  
His eyes settled on where the energy was, and he stared at the little flashes until it became a form after about fifteen minutes of staring at it. His head completely followed it matching it's speed almost exactly, and the form, he could identify as Gohan's.  
  
His thoughts turned as Gohan let out a yell, of pain?, and Trunks fell back.  
  
It was too much to comprehend.  
  
It was mind-boggling.  
  
It was shocking.  
  
He could barely concentrate enough to look at Gohan. He wanted to stand and watch him, but he was afraid to look at him. Not because Gohan could hurt him, but because the energy was so shocking. And last thing he needed was Gohan seeing him so shocked at this power.  
  
"This is called a Super-Saiya-Jin, Trunks."  
  
He blinked but nodded, "I heard a lot about it but never imagined it would be so strong."  
  
"I've heard a lot about you but never imagined you would learn so fast. I had no clue you were so far along." His eyes were teal, but they shined with a sort of pride and Trunks nodded. His golden hair, so bright it was hard to look at it, slowly fell back to its original color, "Well, do you want to start your training?"  
  
Trunks shook his head, "I'll let you train for a while."  
  
"Trunks, it's still training to train you. Besides, the sun's coming up anyway. Unless you really don't want to-I know the feeling of a Super Saiya-Jin's energy can kinda be hard to accept."  
  
Trunks just nodded, not sure if that meant he would train, or agreeing with Gohan.  
  
Gohan got in a fighting stance, and smiled his same tricky smile, turning and flying off.  
  
"Hey! That's not fair!" Trunks hissed.  
  
Gohan turned again, "I'm teaching you to fly, Little Bro!"  
  
"How does this help me? Got any pixie dust?"  
  
Gohan smiled, "Nope."  
  
All Trunks could do was roll his eyes, "Then how do I.-"  
  
"Figure it out! Use your energy!"  
  
With that, Gohan was out of site, leaving Trunks in the dust.  
  
Trunks smirked as he sat down. _'Does he really think I don't know how to use my ki to fly?'_ Hovering in the air for a few moments, he sighed and sped up. Gohan was going slow, he could tell that. Maybe he could cut him off if he went just... a little... faster...  
  
"Hiya, Trunks." Gohan nodded, blinking a little. With a raised brow, he looked towards the teen, "So you can fly, eh?"  
  
Trunks smirked a little, "I'm not that behind."  
  
Gohan stared at him and stopped in mid flight. _'He looks just like...'_  
  
Trunks blinked and slowed. "Gohan... what's wrong, Man?"  
  
Gohan closed his eyes, trying to beat the image of the Saiya-Jin Prince out of his head. "Nothing. You just, kinda look like someone."  
  
"Oh. Who?" Trunks tilted his head to the side. He felt bad... for Gohan to stop in the air like that. He looked like he saw a ghost. _'Which is probably what he did see...'__  
_  
"No one, Man. Here we go. See that little island down there? It's my favorite training spot. Similar to the area I was first trained by Piccolo."  
  
Trunks nodded and sped down in a narrow angle towards the lower cliffs of the far end of the island. A flash of orange light, and Gohan was already there, sitting on a rock with his arms crossed.  
  
"You're..." Trunks gasped as he finally hit the ground, "Fast..."  
  
"Take a few minutes to recuperate if you want." Gohan teased, causing a small blow to the boy's pride.  
  
Trunks shook his head and stood, staring at the rising sun.  
  
"Here's what I want you to do, Trunks. Power up to your highest level. I want to see if we can get you to a Super Saiya-Jin."  
  
_'But a Super Saiya-Jin seems so far away, Gohan. That power was so overwhelming just now. You expect me to become one of those? It's hard to think I could compare to that power. But I trust you, Gohan. I'll try.'_  
  
Trunks stood, bending his legs a little and bracing himself for balance. Lifting his arms out straight ahead of himself, he clinched his fists. The sharp nails dug into the soft skin of his palms, pain flowed through his body as he gathered as much energy as he could. His entire being began to ache. The energy was so hard to hold all at once. He heard himself let out a soft grunt as his host slowly started to shake. Or maybe that was the ground.  
  
He worked hard to keep his feet on the ground, his own energy felt as if it could knock him off of his very own feet. It hurt, badly. Every muscle in his body clinched and tightened. The wind around him began to sway and move, obedient to his very own power's whim. The sun was rising; it was as if his energy was beckoning the energy from the sun and other being around him. The water over the cliff, the energy within the sharp boulders he was surrounded by, even Gohan himself. The temperatures of his body traded off from hot from the sun that seemed to burn down his back, to freezing, for the wind was winding around him, as if he were the very eye of the storm he seemed to be causing.  
  
He couldn't help it anymore. It hurt too much. His soft grunts became agonized cries. He kept his head forward, staring towards Gohan's black eyes just looking at him. The gaze was confident, he didn't know if it was surprised or proud, but he seemed to be pleased with his overall power.  
  
"Hey.... not bad." Gohan nodded to the boy, "I didn't know he was this far along..."  
  
The dirt of the boulders could no longer take the torture, and disintegrated into soft, cool sand. The sand was picked up by the wind as Trunks let out a cry that hurt his voice to bellow out. It formed a thick curtain of dust around the boy. Little kinetic energy sparks cracked all around him, they stung his arms and chest and legs and even his face as they touched him. The dirt got in his eyes and hair and soon his hair was flying up, obeying the power.  
  
"Oww.. ugh...**NOO**!" He cried, but already there was a fist connecting to his chin. Trunks felt his chin snap back, but he didn't feel the pain. Gohan was standing before him, a confident smile on his face, waiting for him to counter.  
  
At first he was terrified, but then he understood. This was training. If he couldn't handle a spar against Gohan, then he wouldn't be able to last a second against the androids.  
  
Trunks sent a sharp fist back at his master, who lifted his head to avoid, while grabbing his fist. That smile... it was so confident. So annoying. He felt like he'd seen it somewhere before, on another person, but when he snapped himself back to his senses, Gohan was leading him off towards the higher, steeper cliffs.  
  
Flying ahead, he dodged random boulders flying towards him, even broke straight through one, ignoring the searing pain in his head. A tiny cut formed, blood threatened to trickle down, but nothing came, and he caught his target.  
  
He lifted his right fist, trying to get a direct blow to Gohan's chest, but Gohan wouldn't have that. He narrowed his eyes and countered with his lower arm. Leaving his other arm to rest confidently at his side, Gohan blocked every blow with that single arm, and Gohan was more annoyed by the moment.  
  
Then, Gohan just phased out of sight. Before Trunks knew what was happening, he whipped around to meet with the tip of Gohan's boot, his back slamming harshly against the hard rocks and skidding off of the steep cliff.  
  
He was too preoccupied to even notice they were fighting on a cliff! But he tasted the salty water, overpowering even him with the crushing waves as he struggled to keep above the water.  
  
His eyes closed, the salt water got to his eyes, so he blindly let out his arms, "Gohan! Help me!"  
  
The man was standing on the edge of the cliff, staring coldly down at him with that same annoying smile that Trunks wanted to smack off of him.  
  
He could only leave his eyes open for that second, closing them to brace before the powerful waves of the whirlpool he landed in.  
  
"Okay. Make circles with your arms and kick real hard." He chuckled and Trunks glared.  
  
"You bum!"  
  
"Are the androids going to help you out?" With that, Gohan laughed.  
  
Trunks closed his eyes and slowly started to power up. It was hard, so much force trying to move him, he needed to brace his own self for his own power, but with such a great second power disturbing him, it was almost too hard. The power came, slowly but surely. The waves calmed as well.  
  
He slowly kicked his way out of the water, _'First I'm going to get out of here,' _he tilted his head in the general direction of Gohan's laugh, _'And then I'm going to kill him.'_  
  
One hand clinched, the other paddling towards the shore, he slowly made it. He'd never been so happy to taste muddy sand before.  
  
Coughing uncontrollably, he managed to crawl towards a rock to sit and calm himself, but he let in too much water and felt sick, ready to throw up. His body heaved and he had to bend over, still coughing out the water.  
  
He looked up as he felt a mass blocking the sun from his burning eyes to see Gohan's outstretched arm with a little white towel in hand.  
  
"Here ya go, Trunks."  
  
"First.... You stand there and watch while I almost drown," He was talking so fast, he had to stop to cough, "And then you offer me a towel?"  
  
"Yup." Gohan shrugged, but Trunks accepted the towel as Gohan smiled brightly and sat next to him.  
  
Trunks dried his face and chest, nothing he could really do about his sopping wet clothes. Mom would get him for that one. Great._ 'We went.... Uh.... Swimming, Mom. I dunno why Gohan's not wet.... Oh… alright.... Bye, Mom....' _He snickered, _'That'll go over well.'_ He sighed and continued to wipe at his face, _'Ugh. So much for the royal treatment.'__  
_  
Which reminded him....  
  
"Uh, Gohan?"  
  
"Yeah, Trunks?"  
  
He looked away timidly, "You, uh, knew my father pretty well, right?"  
  
Gohan froze. "Yeah."  
  
"Well, my mom doesn't say much about him," He looked ahead, "and I can't remember anything from when I was a baby..."  
  
_'Here it comes. Vegeta, if you weren't dead I'd kill you about right now.'_  
  
"Do you think you could tell me a little bit about him? What he was like?"  
  
"He was tough. Extremely powerful." He looked towards the boy with his same calm smile, _'Alright, I like the kid so I'll give him a few nice things to say about the bastard father.... But that doesn't mean I can't tell the truth either_.' With a cooler smile he added, "Arrogant. Very proud."  
  
"I see. That's about what Mom says about him."  
  
Gohan looked dead ahead. The subject of how much Bulma loved Vegeta was something he wanted to stay as far away as possible from. "Yeah. She's changed a lot over the years."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Nothing." He shook his head, tilting it to the side, "Nothing at all, Trunks."

* * *

A LONG chappeh! YAY!

**Next Time: Every night she looks in her dark lab for something, for some sort of hope, but that does not change what she feels inside. She is almost completely faithless, and it always refreshing to find something great when you are faithless.**

Reviewer's Corner:

Vegeta Goddess: That just means I have to work harder to continue impressing you. Oh, and you really should just ignore me when I throw my temper tantrums and say I'm gonna leave. You know I won't.

AnnaK: That's why most of the time I don't do it with paragraphs unless it's only one person thinking about another and it's usually someone of the opposite sex. I'm glad that you think it's "refreshingly original". I strive to be original as I've stated before, so it's always a compliment from anyone.

Celeb Ryu: Yeah, inspiration came and lalala... Oh, and you of all people should know that I say crap when I get mad. God, I need to stop doing this to people. I'm so damn dramatic. But thank you for your kind words towards my fic. (Sound familiar?)

VTurnip: -Sniffles- That was so beautiful. Well, I figured that I had to come back. I am NOT leaving any of my fics alone. I will complete them all. I swear it. And, on that matter, people that want to copy my fics can burn in Hell. It really is a compliment that someone would want to be like me that much, I suppose, but when it gets to someone taking credit for the work I wrote, when they write it half-assed, using all but the fic's name, which was a cheap rip-off of my name, too.. You know? But I promise you all I'm not going anywhere. Keep on reading, VTurnip.


	11. Faithless

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Eleven: Faithless**

"Where in the world have you two been?"

"Uh… Nowhere?" Trunks blinked as he stared at his mother.

Her head turned to Gohan who tensed. "All day. The both of you are gone _all _day, Trunks is soaking wet, and no one gives me any notice. I was worried about you, Trunks. I understand that it's good to have Gohan around and he's your friend but you have to let me know if you're going to go anywhere. Thank whatever there is up there, be it God or Satan, should either exist, which is doubtable, so you can just thank dumb luck, because if you'd been out there any later you might have caught a cold! Or worse! What if those Artificial Humans decided that it would be fun to smack you both around? Gohan is a capable young man who can handle himself, Trunks, and he has his own mother to worry about him and lecture him, whom he _doesn't _listen to," She sharply glared at Gohan, but turned back to Trunks, "But you're not even fourteen and you know being outside is dangerous, and do you _hear _me, young man!?"

Trunks looked at the floor, "Yes, Mother."

Bulma just sighed and hugged him, wet and all, "Don't scare me like that again. I couldn't bear it if I lost you _too_."

* * *

As night had soon fallen, Gohan rested his head on the guest bed. He'd wanted to train, but his thoughts were clouded, as he could still hear Bulma's lecture, '_Thank whatever there is up there, be it God or Satan, should either exist, which is doubtable, so you can just thank dumb luck!'_

_'She's completely faithless.' _

_'You know being outside is dangerous.'_

Gohan sat up, it was his job to see that outside wouldn't be dangerous anymore. Leaning against the headboard, he sighed a bit.

_'Don't scare me like that again! I couldn't bear it if I lost you _**_too_**_."_

This of course was the worst thing she had said. "Who else, but Vegeta? _Ugh_."

How could someone that hated so much be so pure?

* * *

Trunks was still sulking from the lecture. Of course she'd sent him straight to the bathroom, and then made him eat, and then made a fuss over taking him to her medical lab, to make sure he wasn't insane as she so bluntly put it.

He'd wanted to know if she was angry with him, but she had her own way of doing things and she was both angry with him and relieved by him at once so he let it drop-She didn't ground him, as she was either simply too tired or figured the lecture would teach him a lesson and suit as a warning.

_ 'Gohan is a capable young man who can handle himself, Trunks.'_

She thought he wasn't responsible enough to take care of himself. She'd practically called him a little kid in front of Gohan.

He sighed and closed his eyes. Mimicking her voice, he called to himself, "_Don't scare me like that again!" _His eyes were knives, and cut straight, cleanly through the words, _"I couldn't bear it if I lost you too."_ He scoffed, and growled to himself, "_Ugh_! The guy died and she's still so crazy about him it's not even funny! Damn you, _Son _Gokou."

* * *

The clock's letters glowed brightly. Oh yes, it was early morning but the scientist was up, as she was so afraid that day, and still so very alert, sleep just would not come. She sighed as she typed in random searches to look through the net's articles. Of course all of these were usually second-rate because those who updated them had long since died. She'd tried every search possible, anything that could possibly protect her family from the androids or even defeat them, but nothing.

She sighed and glanced at a picture by her desk of her son. Oh, how she'd wished he'd grown up with the entire gang as Gohan did. Maybe his life would've been a bit more… Happy… "Oh, I wish I could go back in time and save you _all_."

She rubbed her head, but a minute later she thought of something. Clearing her search, she typed in a new one, "Time travel.." She muttered to herself as she typed. "Hmn, nothing but crazies. Okay, how about this," she continued, "To defy space and time..." 

She stared as the search only came up with one result.

The summary read:

_**It is obvious that what's happening now, in another dimension, could be quite a few years away from now. The problem is, we don't know if it's years prior to…To defy space and time and go back to the past would be quite possible, all you have to do is figure out what makes time turn, and how to reverse it.**_

"Oh, my god."

* * *

Whee!

**Next Time: Gohan's missing... but when they find him, they also find two devils. One happens to take an instant liking to a certain blue rose**. 

Reviewer's Corner: 

Vegeta Goddess: I'm glad you remembered!

OuttaDaLoop: Maybe some G/B next chapter. Maybe not. You gotta keep reading. Oh, and I'm glad to be back, thank you.

Saki: Yes, I'm back. Everyone's little secrets should tear them apart. They're like a patch-work quilt and the secrets slowly eat at the seams. When the drift apart, what's gonna happen?


	12. Insolence

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Twelve: Insolence**

"You seem in a surprisingly good mood today, Mother." Trunks raised a brow from the table.

"You're here, surprisingly enough, Son." Bulma retorted.

Trunks shrugged, "I couldn't find Gohan this morning."

Bulma raised a brow, "Oh? Where is he, then? Training?"

"Uh, I don't know?"

"You two have been training for a few days already," Trunks tried to protest but she shook it off, "And you can't read ki yet? I know Gohan's a better teacher than that."

"How do you know-"

Bulma shrugged, "I can't read it if that's what you mean. I don't have the power level, but I have the 'woman's intuition', I think I called it." She chuckled a bit, "Anyway, all of these fighters, from Yamucha to Gokou were always talking about how they can't sense this power level, or they can sense this one and it's so unbearably huge." She laughed, "They looked silly, even in the most tense moments. Gokou and the others always tried to get me to leave those bad situations. Eventually I would, but I watched some of the fights. On Namek, some here, most of them were either with Gokou as a child when we were little kids or after… he passed away. I wanted to see the androids. I thought I could help destroy them if I could even get any parts of them…" She looked sad for a moment, but continued, "So do you know where he is or not, Kiddo?"

Trunks was about to vomit. If she said "Gokou" one more time… He sighed, "Uh… He's at… I think near that big amusement park about an hour away."

Bulma stared, "I'll go to see what's going on. He wouldn't train in an area where so many people would be likely to get hurt." She sighed and turned the radio on, "Is there any way of knowing how long he was gone?"

"No."

_"And so it is reported that if you are in the West City Amusement Park, W-CAP, or any of the smaller areas around it you should evacuate now. Artificial Humans have been spotted and we have no further information as to where they are for safety reasons."_

Trunks stared blankly. He should have been there to help, he needed to go… Now!

Bulma pat her son's shoulder, "Don't feel guilty. If he wanted you to follow, he would've given you some sort of sign."

"And you don't think this is a sign? Mom, I've got to go."

"Trunks, you, I, I'm your mother. You're not going. Trunks? **TRUNKS**!"

But he was already out the door by the time she turned around.

* * *

Bulma raced to the car. Whatever route her son took, he was going fast and he wasn't going a way she would know how to get to him any time soon. Damn him. Damn him for being so stubborn and helpful.

What would she do if she lost him!

Her little boy. She pressed harder on the gas. Even so… She'd make it there in a half hour.

Oh, God.

Wait, there was no God. This God, he took away Vegeta. He took away Gokou. He took away hope for their future. Perhaps she could save another future, but what of her beloved?

She wanted to be selfish again. She wanted to be wanted, the way Vegeta and Yamucha were always fighting over her. In their own way, well it was more Vegeta took her and Yamucha went insane with jealousy. That was his problem, but she never wanted him to die. He was still a good person. He wasn't the most faithful person alive, but he died to save people.

And what of Gokou? Oh, Gokou… everyone missed him. If he were there… He would have thought of something, done something. Her Vegeta and Gokou together… they could have been unstoppable.

They would have won.

Gohan wouldn't be a bitter young man. Oh, how she felt bad for Gohan as well. And Chichi, always worried, always deprived of her family. Now Bulma knew what she felt.

She took those years of freedom for granted. Now they were the artificial humans' playthings. Not for long, she used to think.

One day, she would find out how to make them stop working. She used to want to be of some sort of help during all those fights, and now, they were fighting machines! **MACHINES**!

She was a genius. She was a scientist. On her father's deathbed, she promised him she would find Gero's lab and steal the plans to find out how to kill those monsters.

She was a failure and an insult to her father's name. No, the androids, the artificial humans, they destroyed the lab. She could find no plans to find out what any weaknesses were and work on them.

Bulma sighed. Seconds were too slow. She had to get there faster!

Faster!

She had to make it… she didn't make it there on time to save Yamucha or Vegeta, and she didn't invent the damned heart disease medicine fast enough to save poor Gokou, but she would save these two. Stop Trunks, her baby boy, from doing something stupid…

And Gohan…

She would find him, too. But what could she do? He was stubborn as a Saiya-Jin.

He wouldn't stop fighting.

She sighed as the entrance to the W-CAP came up. Jumping out of the car, reckless as to what was going on, Bulma ran through, to save her little boy.

* * *

_"So what do you want to do now?"_

_"I don't know… hey, look, what's that?"_

_"What's what?"_

_"That woman… Eh, I'll go kill her."_

Juunana stared for a minute before he jumped before his sister, _"Stop… I've seen her before. Don't kill her until I find out where the hell I've seen her before."_

_"Lots of women in this stupid city look like her."_

_"No, she's cuter than the other ones."_

_"You just have a hair-fetish."_

Juunana stared at her, _"What is she looking for?"_

_"Maybe that pathetic fighter? Maybe she's his girlfriend, how should I know?" _Juuhachi rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

Juunana's eyes flared under that comment, no, something so beautiful could not belong to that piece of shit. He wouldn't have it.

Juuhachi, amused by this, shrugged, _"Why don't you go talk to her? Suddenly shy before a human?"_

_"Fine, I will."_

* * *

_"So, is this what you do in your spare time or are you looking for something, Woman?"_

Bulma stopped, "Don't call me that."

Vegeta… Vegeta… Oh, she was his woman…. Almost like his little nickname for her… Vegeta…

_"Don't you know who I am?"_

Bulma slowly turned around and stared straight into the ice eyes of Juunana. "I know who you are."

_"Aren't you afraid?"_ He smirked. He wanted her to be afraid, she was so delicate and strong at the same time. Seeing her afraid… seeing her like that… His eyes flashed with a different fire this time… Sadism.

The things he could do to this one.

"No. If you're going to kill me…"

_"No one said I was going to kill you. Yet."_

Bulma turned. He faced her. His eyes, the way he looked at her. She shivered. He smirked and moved closer.

_"Where do you come from? I've seen you before." _Juunana became annoyed, as she didn't answer, _"I asked you a question! Answer me, damn it! Now!"_

_"Juu, let's go. I'm bored."_

_"I want to pay you a little visit." _He ignored his sister.

"What, like a date?" Bulma spit out beside herself, "You sick fuck-"

_"There's no need for profanity, now. You wouldn't want me to lose my temper and not tell you where your little fighter is." _Juunana grinned.

"I wouldn't believe you even if you did tell me."

Juunana shrugged and slid his gloved finger in the tight area between Bulma's shirt. Outraged, she moved to slap him on impulse, but he was gone.

_"Check behind the Ferris wheel. You're feisty. I like that. I hope to see you next time, but I'd come a bit sooner. We might leave him dead."_

She cocked her head to the side. She wasn't stupid; it was probably a trick… but what if… She ran towards the giant wheel and behind him, there was Gohan, unconscious, with Trunks on his knees by him.

"**MOM**! Oh, God. He's…. he's… I don't think there's a bone in his body he hasn't broken."

"Help me get him up, Trunks, you're going to be alright, Gohan, come on..."

Juunana watched from atop of the wheel as she touched him so tenderly. Jealousy seethed. This woman… he'd seen her before. He'd find out where… but next time… if she were so insolent… he would kill her little boyfriend. Then kill her.

* * *

Sorreh, sorreh, sorreh. The long awaited chapter!

So what will happen? Will Juu find Bulma and have his way with her or will Gohan manage to win fair lady's heart and protect her? Will Bulma create the time machine in time to save the next future?

**Next Time: While Juunana can think of little but Bulma, Gohan can no longer keep such deep emotions to himself. As soon as he slips and Bulma realizes, she looks at him with a sad smile. "Oh, Gohan... I'm too old for you."**

Reviewer's Corner:

Vegeta Goddess: I'm being ordered to do something. Meep. Hehe. I'll hold you to that, yanno. I shall update!

Shy-Lil-Dreamer: I shall! I get a one-shot from VG if I do!

Gethmane8: It's almost like a circus where everything will eventually pull together. It just seems intricate and separate now.

Celeb Ryu: Evil cliffies make for better next chapters.


	13. Age

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Thirteen: Age**

_"You've been thinking about that wench for three days now. Come off it."_

Juunana yawned, "_I have not. She just comes to mind-"_

_"Every thirty minutes. What's wrong with you? So she's screwing the blonde guy, kill him if it makes you that jealous."_

_"I plan to." _Juunana growled, "_But it won't be because I'm jealous of him being with any human woman."_

Juuhachi rolled her eyes, "_Right. Well you sure did a number on him…"_

* * *

Bulma squeezed Gohan's hand gently. Trunks sat anxiously by, reading a schoolbook.

Bulma coughed.

Trunks turned the page.

Gohan was motionless, lying in his bed.

"I can't take this silence anymore!" Bulma, frustrated, sighed, letting go of Gohan's hand, "Let's let him rest... he might wake up any time now."

Trunks sighed, "Like he has for the past couple of days?"

Bulma sighed and nodded, "Let's go get something to eat."

"But what about…?"

"Okay, you go get something to eat and finish up your homework, then we'll switch…"

"You sure, Mom?"

"Very."

She sighed, taking Gohan's hand again…

* * *

Trunks sighed and followed back into the room, "Mom, it's almost nine… you should go get something to eat. I'll make sure I get you if he wakes up."

Bulma sighed and shook her head, "I can't do that.."

"Mom, I'm not a little kid."

"I know but… okay, fine. I'll go get something to eat… but please… just get me if he gets up."

* * *

Juuhachi yawned, _"You should have just followed her."_

_"She was headed towards right outside West City. Not far away."_

_"Then go?"_

_"I've been thinking about it."_

_"Just go and get it done with. You might find Blondie."_

Juunana sighed, _"Where will you be?"_

_"I'll probably go back to the hotel. It was nice."_

Juunana rolled his eyes but nodded. West City… he'd seen her before. Where? What was in West City?

Malls, amusement parks, stores, restaurants, hotels, businesses, hospitals. There was nothing he could set his mind on. He hadn't seen her in any of the parks or malls… she probably lived right in or outside of West City…

* * *

It'd be another five hours before his fingers would twitch inside her palm.

"Bulma?"

"Hmn?" She leaned over tiredly to watch him, "Are you," She yawned, "Okay?"

"What are you doing awake? Are you crazy? It's almost midnight… go to bed, Bulma."

"No, no, I can't… I'm going to sit with you the rest of the night until you're well."

"I feel fine."

"No stubbornness to it. Hush now."

Bulma raised a brow, "I'm not going to sleep, I need to make sure-"

Gohan surprised himself at his attitude, but kept on with a tone that was so playful… he'd never known it before, "Bulma, you know very well I'm Saiya-Jin and I heal just fine. These medical tests don't do a lot."

She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned as he tried to sit up, "Lay back down."

"I'm fine. Ugh, fine, I'll get some rest if you do. Deal?" He smiled at her, reaching out a hand.

She melted; he looked so much like Son, that goofy smile. She slapped away his hand and sat back in her chair.

"What are you going to do, stare at me all night?"

"I'd intended to do so?"

"You're going to just sleep in a chair like that?"

"Eh?" Bulma blinked.

"Where are you going to sleep? Don't tell me you didn't plan on sleeping."

Bulma raised a brow, "What if I did?"

"I'd end up grabbing you in the middle of the night and tying you to my bed so that you'd get some rest."

"For someone that's been on and off for the past three days, you seem rather hyper."

"I'm fine." Gohan looked down at his hand, "See? I move."

Bulma shook her head.

"Compromise?"

"I don't know the meaning of the word."

* * *

Juunana cursed. He'd not only let this… aggression let his sister see weakness in him, he'd been searching wildly for one woman…

"_Nothing killing a few humans can't fix."_

* * *

Gohan cocked a brow, "Lay with me."

"What?"

"Lie down with me. _You_ can make sure I'm not moving and _I'll_ know you're resting." He, satisfied, crossed his arms over his chest and nodded.

Bulma blinked, "But there's no room…" She wasn't going to just lie on Gohan. Her weight would crush his bones.

Gohan rolled his eyes, "I'm a Saiya-Jin." He reminded her.

She shook her head, but Gohan forced himself to sit up again.

Frowning, she raised a hand in protest, "Okay, okay, I will lay next to you for a while and when I get tired I'll go to bed **IF**, and only if, you cooperate and let me at least make sure you're alright tomorrow. It's so late tonight all I expect of you is to get some good rest."

Satisfied, Gohan took Bulma's hand and allowed her to sit on his little med-bed. Why she wouldn't let him sleep in his much more comfortable bed was beyond him… He smiled inwardly. Her hair smelled nice. Like vanilla. Her skin looked very soft.

He wasn't so confident now. She was there, on him, against him, and he was so full of thoughts, of how he would have given anything to just… touch…. Kiss…

Bulma blinked upon his arm protectively holding her closer to him, not too close, not too hard, just to keep her from leaning against the hard metal rails of the bed. She looked up, and he blinked, giving a comforting smile, to show that he wasn't going to try anything.

But she saw the pleading look behind the playfulness in his eyes. She understood now. She knew now. Looking down, Bulma sat up, "Oh, Gohan… I'm too old for you."

* * *

Muahahaha!

**Next Time: Can she call him a boy or a man? He stands before her, proud and tall as a man, but he pleads for a chance while she continues to claim their ages would make it impossible. But as she thinks about giving in… another visitor comes. **

Reviewer's Corner: 

Saki: I know! Gohan is so obsessed over her and after one run in with Juu, not only is Bulma unsafe, but this means Gohan's REALLY unsafe. Will these two every be able to be together?

GethMane8: Finally, huh? Yeah, it took me a little time. Maybe I should combine a few chapters? Dunno.. I like it as it is. As for Trunks and his feelings, he is between a rock and a hard place. His mother, who he assumes is in love with him, well if he mentions this to his mother it will not only be an awkward moment, it will also bring up a lot of painful stuff for his mother, which is obviously something he doesn't want to do. Then, he can mention it to Gohan, but Gohan looks up to Gokou so much because he's his father… soo… see what I mean?

Shy-Lil-Dreamer: Evil! Actually, Juu sorta ends up making a certain deal with Bulma.. I've said too much!

GohanGenius'85: Yep. This is a different take to it, and I'm not sure if I want to have Gohan loose his arm or die… The loosing arm thing is flat out unsexy, I'll just say that right now… I don't want to maim him yet. Hehe. –Shallow-


	14. Men

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Fourteen: Men**

Bulma stared at Gohan in a mixture of shock and disgust. Not with him, but herself. She was an... old woman. How could she have possibly lead him on like that? Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked down, blushing madly.

She hadn't felt the warm touch of a man since... Vegeta... She wouldn't even let Yamucha touch her. She'd yelled and shrieked and sobbed that he'd try something on her, like he was trying to mock the great Vegeta.

Gohan looked down, ashamed, "I never intended for you to know, Bulma-Sama."

She nodded. "I still think of you as a sweet b-m-" She stuttered. She didn't know if she could call him a boy or a man. Curiosity got the better of her, and she spilled out, "How long have you..."

Gohan looked at her and sighed, noting her first comment with sadness, "It was just a crush... at first. I ignored it… I was always very busy training with Piccolo… I always thought you were pretty but as I got older, got to know you..."

She flushed again, "I'm flattered, but I'm old enough to be your mother, Gohan. You just haven't had enough experience with girls your age to know the difference yet…"

"I don't care." He looked at her stubbornly for a moment, he'd lost control but his voice was desperate and gentle. She stared at him with deep blue watering eyes. He held her gaze until he could no longer bear the sight of her tears, "I don't care. Everyone's told me all my life that this would go away, it was just supposed to be a stupid natural crush!"

Bulma backed up a bit, sitting down calmly.

Gohan continued, for he could no longer stop, "But I see you and I see something so much more than just a pretty face and, ugh! I can't explain it. I shouldn't have to. I wish it were so easy, where I'd grown up like a normal little boy going to public school with a crush on the teacher or the little girl in the back of the class, but you're not and it's not, no… Never mind... I wouldn't change my childhood for anything..." Gohan was almost incoherently babbling and Bulma stared at him. He didn't know how to express himself...

She stood to pat him on the shoulder gently. The pat turned into a long, emotional hug. Gohan looked up at Bulma and pulled a strand of aqua away from her face. He smiled sadly, "Tomorrow I'll go back. I can visit Trunks every few weeks. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Bulma."

She shook her head, "You'll stay right here as you always have."

"I couldn't stand being here-"

"You'll survive."

"I want you."

"I'm old enough to be your mother."

"I'm too far along to care."

"It's not that you're not a handsome young man, but… I'm too old for you."

"I don't care."

"What can I say?" Bulma sighed.

"Say you feel even a fraction of what I do." Gohan looked at her. He felt pathetic and sick. He knew if Bulma hadn't wanted to kick him out before, she certainly would now. But she just looked down.

"You know I can't. What type of person would I be? You're a little boy-"

"I am not. I know you like to think of me as one but incase you haven't noticed, I'm a man now. If you can't say you care for me-in that way- I understand, it's okay and I'm sorry about everything... but you have to give me the dignity to let you walk out of here knowing I'm a man."

Bulma held her breath. She stared at him in eyes she didn't want to look through ever again. Lust washed over her and she almost allowed herself to give into the soft, loving eyes of Gohan. Those bottomless pits... obsidian eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest.

No.

She would be using him. He would wake up, not a better person-a better man, but feeling horrible and abused. She wouldn't hurt anyone like that. She couldn't do that, not to sweet Gohan.

Even if he wasn't a boy. He was a human... No, he was a Saiya-Jin. Damn it, he was alive.

"Sit down," She ordered him awkwardly, flustered, "Lay back down. You're still my patient, you're ill, you need to rest."

He sighed and obeyed. She fussed over his arm for a moment. The corners of his mouth twitched as he thought of just ripping the bandages away to see her expression.

_'I have more self-control than this. It's been too long since I was last with someone... Maybe I should get some sort of... hobby or something. Meet some people while Gohan and Trunks are out... Get rid of this lust... Stop thinking of disgusting things... He's a boy.'_

"It's okay, Bulma."

"It's not okay, you need to sleep... I myself need to go grab something to eat and I don't want you to move a muscle."

He'd meant to comfort her about the talk they'd just had. He looked down as she left and sighed. "Great job," He hissed to himself, "At least I had her friendship and respect before." He closed his eyes, miserable than ever.

* * *

Bulma hugged herself. The wind was cold and the sky was dark but she felt comfortable now that she was alone and didn't have to face Gohan and his loving eyes.

That Saiya-Jin stare. She first saw it in Gokou's eyes. Passionate for fighting as ever... whenever a battle was coming she could tell by looking at him. One could get excited about it, but not fear it... he'd be there...

Then, there was Vegeta. She could tell easily that they were of the same race, just by looking at their eyes, even though Vegeta was more complex than Gokou. Gokou's nature was simple. Vegeta did what he wanted. Vegeta's eyes glittered in a sadistic light one moment and in another one that was somewhat gentle. Then again, there was a rage in there as well... passion for more than just fighting... But he was not complete... Neither of them was... That Saiya-Jin stare always did something to her. Made her blood run cold. Made her shiver all over. It was... dangerously tempting.

Now whatever God was up there decided to be sadistic and give Gohan the same eyes. But if she were… to ever be with him… He was so different from anyone she'd ever dated. Except for Yamucha and Vegeta, they were all little flings, and Yamucha cared about himself more than anything while Vegeta was, well Vegeta…

She tried to accuse herself of only considering this because he reminded her of Vegeta… but he didn't…

She sighed.

She was pathetic.

_"I told you I would find you, Earthling Woman."_

"No... not now... not right now. Go away." Bulma hissed back at him, flinching and barely able to conceal a yelp of fright.

He chuckled_, "I love that about you... you're not afraid of me. But why not, one might ask? And I do think you could do with having a bit more respect for the me."_

She moved away from him. He leaned forward to grab her but she moved back. He laughed. She looked down, "Why did you tell me where he was?"

_"Isn't it obvious? You owe me now."_ He smirked, grabbing her by her waist. _"I gave you his life and now you owe me something much more than life." _

She, disgusted, pushed him away. He chuckled. "Get out of here. Don't come back."

_"I do what I want, silly woman."_

She closed her eyes, moving away in what was barely a run, but he caught her... she shivered upon feeling his tongue upon her ear.. "_Just remember you are in debt to me. I know he's in there and I know he's injured. I could easily walk in there and kill him. So I wouldn't tempt me to if I were you."_

She turned to curse him, make threats, but she was alone once again, left only to think about the fact that not one but two men, one... Saiya-Jin.... handsome... boy... the other, dangerous, cruel, object of her hatred... but at the same time alluring.

* * *

Nuu! Bulma!

**Next Time: He loves telling her that she owes him… so why doesn't she owe him for something that's worth while? **

Reviewer's Corner:

GethMane8: -Nods- She can't say no forever, can she? –Grins-

Prophecy: I shall update soon!

MiLk: I'm a genius! That's so cool! Thanks! Woo!

Jay: Yep. I know, sorry it took so long, I wanted it set up perfect. You know me. Impatient but perfectionist clash. So anyway, he'll win her love… but can he KEEP it?

Shy-Lil-Dreamer: I know. I've done a lot to him, ne? Ah well. Just know he'll have two arms in this story as far as I know. Nothing set in stone, but I'm leaning towards letting him keep his arms.

Just Ne: Funny! Yay, that's something new. I usually get "original angst" Hey, whatever floats your boat. I shall update!


	15. Deals And Lies

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Fifteen: Deals And Lies**

Trunks'd fallen asleep without care even though he'd tried to vow that he would go in to take care of his mother. As he woke in the morning, already somewhat accustomed to Gohan's morning calls, he was saddened to remember his good friend was sick.

What he would think if he should ever find out what'd happened between his mother, the only one he had left to care for and love, his master had been hitting on. It would have been... traumatizing.

Gohan thought about this as the teen walked in the med-room. "You feeling better?"

"I sure am. I wanted Bulma to let me train but she said that I'd have to wait." He sighed, but Trunks knew his mother and laughed. It was still amusing to envision her commanding Gohan around. Gohan fought the androids without fear, but his mother... Trunks sat down in a chair.

Bulma came in briskly, nodding to her son, "You need to go eat some breakfast and let Gohan rest."

"I couldn't possibly rest anymore and you know he's no trouble."

Bulma cocked her head to the side, "I also want my son to eat something. It's almost noon."

"No kidding?" Trunks was under the impression it was nine at the latest. Bulma laughed and played with his hair, allowing him to groan a bit.

"When you have a little boy of your own you can do all the horrible things to him that I did to you and let him feel like he's abused because you _hug_ him. Until then, you have to put up with me."

Trunks trudged out, feeling embarrassed that he was bossed around in front of Gohan of all people, but Gohan wasn't watching Trunks... He was staring at Bulma as discretely as possible.

"I have to train you know. I feel fine. I need to get stronger... All this time I'm wasting could easily be used training... I might have..."

"Stop babbling." Bulma patted him, "You're not the only one that's told me that and you're not going to be the last one I won't listen to. You will start training again tomorrow. It's only been a week," She glared at him so that he wouldn't protest, "And I'm sure that your health matters more. Believe me, of all people I want the androids killed... but your health means a lot to me."

"Think of all the people they're hurting!"

Bulma looked down. "You can start training this afternoon, then."

* * *

Trunks itched as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. Sitting down to eat it, he thought once again of the battle. Not much of a battle for him... Why didn't Gohan let him fight?

Gohan could have died and it would have been his fault.

He couldn't stand eating. He threw away the cereal, left his bowl in the sink and went back to the med room. He stared in the entryway for a few moments. His mother was standing over Gohan while he was removing bandages...

It annoyed Trunks that his mother did not seem to mind that Gohan did not have a shirt on.

"Gokou, I want you to take it a bit easier training for at least this afternoon."

Gohan stared at her, puzzled, "Gokou?"

Bulma flushed. Trunks twitched. "Sorry, Gohan... it's just that... You're so much like him... I can't believe you're going to train."

Gohan grinned, "Dad was a real warrior..."

"You are too, but that doesn't mean it's okay for you to go running around only half-healed. You just regained consciousness, I'd think that you'd be a bit more realistic."

"Dad wasn't realistic."

Bulma smiled. Trunks was going to barf. "Gokou was, wasn't he? He was a wonderful man, your father... he'd be very proud. And you look so much like him. Strong, tall, it's almost like a ghost..." There was a bit of a silence.

Trunks didn't understand why they talked about him like he was alive and got quiet when they remembered he was just some dead guy. But he wasn't just some dead guy to his mother or Gohan. To Gohan, he was a father... and to his mother...

This was stupid. Trunks decided he was not going to pry on the past or worry about stupid Son Gokou and his mother. Whatever happened between them... he glared.

"Trunks? Trunks, Dear? Are you alright?" Bulma waved a hand in front of him.

"Oh? Huh, yeah, I'm cool, Mom."

"Well, Gohan's going to go train and I want you to go back and read a bit, then you're off the hook, just please don't leave the house." Bulma wanted to make sure that he would stay by her, but sighed inwardly, knowing he was going to be joining Gohan. At least he would be remotely safe. Gohan wasn't stupid; he would train far from the droids, and be specifically safe with Trunks and given his condition... And maybe, seeing as Juunana found his way to Capsule Corp so easily... Maybe it was safer away.

"Mom, you're paranoid."

She shook her head, "Son, you saw the damage they've caused and we don't even know where they are anymore... I want you to be safe. You're my little boy, like it or not."

"I'm not a little boy anymore, Mom!"

"You sure as hell are my little boy, Trunks!" Bulma twitched. That was the second time in the last twenty-four hours that she would be told that.

"I'm not going to stay inside all day, I'm not going to sit around and study, and I'm not afraid of the androids!"

Bulma looked down, Trunks marched out. Gohan wanted to hold Bulma, but followed Trunks slowly. Bulma wanted to ask Gohan to watch her son... but they were working so hard to make sure she didn't know. She sighed and sat on his bed.

_"They don't appreciate you around here."_

Bulma flinched, "How did you get in here?"

_"Now calm down. I told you, when I've gotten what I want, I'll leave you alone so I can play cat-and-mouse with your friend out there. I won't hurt him until then."_

"Why are you doing this?"

_"Because now you owe me."_ Juunana moved closer, _"Did he bang you on this bed?"_ He demanded, Bulma stared blankly at him, _"You just walked out, so calmly last night? Is that the way it always is or did you have a fight?"_

"What are you babbling about?" Bulma inched towards the side of the bed closer to the door. Juunana smirked.

"_I want more than you think."_ He yawned and sat in the chair just moments ago Trunks'd been sitting on. Anger seethed within Bulma, but she crossed her arms over her chest. At least she knew he wasn't near her baby boy.

"What do you want? Last time I ask."

_"That's the attitude I like. I want information."_

"On what?" Bulma feared he would ask about the theories on time she'd been studying, but he yawned.

_"I want to know where I've seen you before."_

Bulma blinked, "I don't know... I haven't ever seen you face-to-face since last week."

"_I've seen you before."_ He hissed.

"Well I wouldn't recall-"

"_This was the building I fought a pair of idiots in. A green one and one that,"_ He chuckled, "_Let's just say he was odd."_

Bulma tried to restrain a glare.

_"Did you know them_?" He demanded.

"I knew the green one... he was my... lover's friend."

Juunana raised a brow, "_The one that just left the room?"_

"No, not Gohan, if that's who you mean... His name was Gokou... He died of a heart attack before you even popped up from Hell," She spat, "He was a _great_ man."

_"Oh, so you were with his father, now him. That's really great, his wife must've taken it so well." _Juunana was relieved that his competition was dead. Bulma was relieved he believed the lie. So relieved she did not question his knowledge on the man or how he knew he'd had a wife and that Gohan was his son but never suggested that Trunks and Gohan were brothers.

"There is nothing between Gohan and myself. He's young enough to be my son."

Juunana leered, "_Ah, but I... I'm without age. I can be any age you want to think I am."_

"I want to think you're dead."

He pet her cheek, "_That's not nice. You know, my sister could be following your lover's son instead of playing around at some mall on my call."_

"Are you saying that if I don't-"

"_No."_ He smirked, "_Not yet anyway."_

"Then you're going to go?"

_"Tell your lover's son to expect us in a week at the mall." _

Bulma stared, "Why are you telling me this?"

He rolled his eyes_, "Because now you owe me."_

She blinked, but moved a bit closer to him, "If you don't kill anyone for the next week... until after the fight with Gohan... I'll owe you even more."

Juunana raised a brow, "_Nice try, wanted me to promise not to kill him, did you?"_

"Well, what fun would it be if you killed him?"

_"He's an annoyance."_

"You'll miss him while he's gone," She returned.

Juunana sat back down, eyeing her as if she were planning a conspiracy_. "Okay, okay. My sister and I won't make a big mess for your lover's son to pick up, but I can't promise we won't kill anyone."_

Bulma stared at him. His eyes lighted up as he mentioned violence, "Why do you want to hurt people?"

_"Because it's fun."_

"You have a twisted idea of fun."

He grinned, "_We'll have fun really soon."_

"What did I do to you?"

_"You struck my interest."_

Bulma crossed her arms over her chest. Juunana walked out without the intention of keeping his promise. She thought about making him leave in another way, it would alarm Gohan if they'd seen Juunana just walk out of Capsule Corporations...

But she lay back down, feeling guilty and trying to think of ways to get herself out of this new mess she'd gotten herself into…

* * *

Bulma and Juu are getting closer. Gohan's back out training. I dunno, I wanted t focus more on Trunks this chapter… didn't do a good job Ah well..

**Next Time: Juunana might seemingly be abiding by the deal, but is he? And there are very dangerous stakes now. More dangerous than Bulma could've ever imagined from the moment her lips touched Gohan's while still being harassed by Juunana. **

****

Reviewer's Corner: 

Jay: Actually, yeah. I think she's got it for both Saiya-Jins and bad-boys. Vegeta is sheer proof as he is both!

Shy-Lil-Dreamer: I shall! –Salutes-


	16. Secrets

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Sixteen: Secrets**

When Trunks and Gohan returned, Bulma acted as if she'd thought her son was in his room the entire time. She commented on how she'd thought he was asleep and didn't want to wake him, and he just coughed and nodded. Gohan was silent, staring at her from across the table, he stared at her and his lips moved, maybe even words came out, but Bulma couldn't hear them.

She was finding him more and more attractive by the hour.

It surprised her at first, that even after her encounter, even during her encounter with the sadistic Juunana, all she thought of was he. She should have been worrying about her son. She felt she'd betrayed her family. Bulma looked down and her son and crush and spoke.

"I'm going to my lab." Bulma stood up abruptly. Gohan watched her, concerned, but nodded. She knew he would wait for her son to leave before he came to see her, and that was fine. She didn't ask him to meet her because she knew he would come.

* * *

"I don't trust myself with you."

"That's okay." Gohan remarked. His footsteps against the cold metal door were chilling.

Bulma looked over her shoulder. "Is it really?"

He was a child. An attractive one, but still a child. She could not compare him to a man and yet she could not compare him to her son. His eyes were aged. He'd seen a million battles and watched death, yet did not mock it. No, Son Gohan was not arrogant. That was smart of him. Gohan was very brave. She had to admit this. He stared down the coldest tyrants and fought when he seemed so tired and drained of life in itself. Bulma felt pity for the boy that had no father and he was a boy, but as he developed into a man… Hadn't she just referred to him as a child?

Bulma sighed to herself. Gohan was handsome; there was no doubting that. Not at all. He had a true Saiya-Jin's build, despite the human blood that ran through his veins, and his eyes… that dark stare that mocked her gaily one moment and the next looked at her with a hunger she must've decided not to notice the next…

"I have obligations. It would traumatize my son if he ever found out." She stated, but it sounded so mechanical Gohan ignored her. Frustrated, Bulma pounded her hands against her desk, "Talk to me! Tell me why! Why me, Gohan? You're just a child so how can I find you attractive and how can I not?"

Gohan watched her with his eyes. The stare that Bulma could not endure. She closed her eyes and he leaned against her chair, wrapping his arms around her. She flinched. He was hurt, but only for a second, "I don't know why. I've wanted you since I was Trunks' age. It's okay."

Bulma looked at him seriously, "Promise me you won't tell my son."

Gohan was not surprised. His blue rose wanted something of him that he could understand and yet that he did not want to abide by. She wanted this secret. She hid him. This was a cruel thing to ask him. He hurt, so much asked, so much wanted, when all he wanted was she.

Who was asking for more? He wasn't really sure. He wanted her heart. She wanted a lover.

His beloved. She was saying she would be his. She wanted him as a lover, and the price was that it would have to be in the closet. He bitterly thought of the prince once again that had captured his love's heart. She did not insist on keeping their romance a secret. A more gentle part of his mind argued that the situation was different, it tried to be sensible, but there was no such thing when Vegeta was involved. All Gohan saw was a rival that had managed to capture the heart of the woman that _he_ loved.

Vegeta did not deserve her, and yet she had him. _She _wanted him. He was so cruel and distant to her. Oh, he could give her the securities she deserved, if she wanted it. But he wasn't so sure. He wanted to ask her, he wanted to beg her to tell him what he needed to be-to make her happy, to show her that he loved her. But she was so still in his arms. It felt right to him but she was so stiff that he could tell she was nervous, uncomfortable, awkward.

Gohan slid his hand down, stroking her chin so gently, tilting it up so that he could look at her, so that he could see her gorgeous eyes. He wondered sometimes how Kami'd managed to capture the exact color of the ocean on a happy day when the water was calm, sparkling in the sun inside her eyes. But he knew better than to question fate and take away from the magic. She looked so confused. The woman that had all the answers seemed so lost right now, and what bothered him was that she was not looking to him for answers. She was not looking to anyone for answers.

She needed someone, something; she could no longer juggle everything though she tried. Her feelings were so complex. She was a piece of him that he had lost when he was very young She was intelligent, she strived to be the best in everything she did, arrogant, loving, kind, and yet her sharp tongue and fiery temper held, no, demanded, the attention of all around her. When thinking about it, her perfection was so unreal that it made him extremely nervous and conscious of the fact that she was there, now, and her choice was about to be made. So be it.

She wanted him, which was sure enough. It was rather obvious that Bulma'd found him attractive for a long time. More than obvious. Moments ago, she'd actually verbalized the fact that she was _physically _attracted to him. That meant absolutely nothing. Physical attraction could only take you so far… but did she really love him for what he was? Did she love him at all? Want was one thing, but was she unknowingly using him for a replacement?

No… he was nothing like Vegeta, so that was thoroughly impossible. But the fact of the matter remained: Bulma did not think this relationship was right. She wanted him and she maybe was even attracted to him for him, but she did not honestly think they were right for each other, and as much as he adored Trunks, he was to blame for this.

Trunks was, perhaps, the symbol of morality for Bulma. A sign that this was wrong. It made him love her all the more that she wanted her son to be happy. But she could not push herself to the side forever. He did not want to be her secret. He wanted all to know that he loved Bulma and that she loved him.

He couldn't help but feel somewhat used. But his rose would never do something like that.

She was too perfect.

* * *

"What're you so happy about? Are you finally done with that human woman?"

Juunana scoffed, "She's just a way to pass the time."

"It seems to me like you're starting to like her a bit too much. She is a human." Juuhachi yawned. "So what're we going to do tomorrow?"

Juunana looked to the side, "You can go play with your malls… as long as…"

Juuhachi raised a brow, "As long as I what?"

"Just don't kill anyone for a week. I don't care what you do."

Juuhachi burst into laughter, "She actually made you promise… and you're actually listening?"

Juunana growled darkly and his sister stopped giggling, "I am this close to getting what I want from her and if keeping a stupid promise, for a few days at least, will shut her up, then do it!"

"If you want her so badly, why don't you just take her instead of making all these negotiations?"

Juunana glared. She wouldn't understand. This one was worthy. This one was different.

* * *

"You should come to bed." Gohan rested his head on Bulma's shoulder.

Absentmindedly, she responded, "And you should be resting in Med Lab. What's your point?"

"I don't want you up all night." Gohan responded. He really didn't matter… but she looked so tired… "If you don't, I'll pick you up and drag you to bed myself."

Bulma ignored him, continuing to type away, "I'll be in bed in a few moments."

Gohan rolled his eyes, picking up the chair. Bulma let out a bit of a squeal and he grinned, "It's bed time."

"Gohan! Trunks will hear!" Bulma protested, "If you put me down, I'll come quietly…"

"I don't trust you." He eyed her warily, but set her down.

"Good!" Bulma turned abruptly, running towards the Lab doors. Unfortunately, Gohan was only a few million times faster than she was, and before she knew it, the two were laying down in her bed. "Ugh…" She pretended to be disgusted, though she hadn't had this much fun in a long time, "I hope you took your shoes off."

"I sure did." Gohan responded, bringing his rose a bit closer to him. He had to squeeze this moment; he had to make sure it was real while it lasted.

She slept calmly for the first time in years in Gohan's patient and loving arms.

It was not wrong to love Gohan anymore. She would ignore the fact that it was wrong until it was no longer wrong.

* * *

Crappy? Hehe… sorry. At least I updated?

**Next time: Gohan and Bulma fluff! While Juu and Juu are off destroying malls, (though not killing as Juu promised), Gohan and Bulma share a tender moment. But what's this? Trunks learns of the android"s attack? Should Bulma tell Gohan of her encounters with Juuhachi or go off to rescue her son alone?**

Reviewer's Corner: 

Mademoiselle: If you think this is deep, you should see the whole Bulma's about to dig for herself.

Vegeta Goddess: Thank you too much! Good versus Utterly, utterly brilliant… -Wipes away tear- I am… so honored… EVERYONE COME LOVE VG WITH ME!

GethMane8: You're one of my more frequent readers and for that I have to thank you. It is very hard, because I'm going to have to have her switching back and fourth and loving them both in different ways for different things to the point where she can't even compare them and I've said way too much…

Jay: Bulma's lie was the affair with Gokou. She was never with him at any point, she just wanted to protect Gohan and not bring up Vegeta at the same time. Actually, Bulma's main problem is what she DOESN'T tell Gohan, if ya catch my drift.

A Very Horny Celeb Ryu: Yes, I know… you love Juu. I won't bother responding to your review, I'll just assume you like his sexiness and move on… Uh… thanks for liking the fic?


	17. Love Bite

A note: Hey there! Well, Bouzi Neo has GREAT news. I have seven new fics out and seven fics to finish this summer. The fics to finish are: Blue Roses, Bad Assumptions, Why, Giving In, Gift From God, Spirits Within, and My Family, My Love, My Life. Seeing as it's summer, there should be updates every day. Now, what I do is look at the reviews for every story. The one with the most reviews is the winner and I update it. So if you want to see a BR update every day, then I suggest you review, and if you wanna see more updates from my other fics, you should review them too. The deal is that a lot of them have zero reviews. One hasn't been reviewed for three chapters. More reviews makes Bouzi Neo happy. So, without further ado, I give you…

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter 17: Love Bite**

He had postponed training to spend the day with her and for that she was grateful. She realized how much she meant to him. How much he was willing to sacrifice for her.

She'd known that Gokou had always put training before Chichi and perhaps that was the wiser choice of the two, but even when she insisted that he go out to train, he told her that it could wait, and he'd do it later that night. The habits of a training Saiya-Jin were well noted.

For once, in a very long time, Bulma felt special in a good way.

They sat outside all morning from dawn to perhaps seven or so. Bulma smiled upon remembering, she'd shivered and he looked at her, nervous at first, but his arm slipped around her shoulders and she smiled. He was very warm, she leaned into him. He seemed a bit frightened at first, but he calmed down and they spoke like adults. How she'd missed companionship, both romantically and just from another adult.

She loved Trunks, he was her son, but she was so protective of him she did not enjoy hearing his thoughts on things, as mature as they were. Not because she did not respect the fact that he was a person, and not that she didn't listen, it was just that it was painful to hear that her baby boy was growing up.

Until the previous night, her Trunks was the only thing in the world she had and that was all there was to say on the matter.

She didn't want him to grow up and yet; she didn't want to keep him a child.

She was so clingy to him it was ridiculous, though she tried not to show it.

Talking with Gohan was refreshing. He was such a brilliant young man. So smart and well bred, yes, she could tell that the schoolwork Chichi pushed on him did help in the long run. Perhaps he was not attending a university, perhaps universities didn't really exist anymore, except for underground study groups for those young and eager to learn, from themselves and books they could scrounge up if nothing else, but he did not grow up ignorant.

She faintly remembered that at the start of their friendship, one of the most annoying things about Son Gokou was his ignorance. His grammar was improper, he was the most naïve person she'd ever met in her life, it was just so shocking and yet obvious that the man, yes, man, that she was leaning against was his son.

Gohan was a strong man, he had a sweet innocence to him that made her so comfortable, though. She adored him for it.

And yet… he was mischievous.

He had a sneaky way of doing things. But she trusted him. He was so complicated for a man that she'd passed off as simple before this whole mess.

But she loved the mess.

He really was a dear.

When breakfast came around, Gohan proved acting was one of his many talents and abilities. If either had hinted to Trunks that there was anything going on between the two of them, then it was probably her. Bulma averted his eyes at all costs and tried to not talk to him at all when Gohan made simple small talk and he was… well, absolutely normal.

Trunks left the room and Gohan leaned against the back of her chair, brushing his lips against her ear, "_We need to work on your acting skills."_ He'd whispered, tilting his head to meet her eyes.

_"Shh,"_ She hissed,_ "He might come back in-sometimes he just wants another roll on the go or forgot to tell me something or-"_

She was cut off by the sound of her dear laughing.

At her?

Somewhat annoyed and embarrassed at her stumbling over her own words, she looked at him.

"He won't be back. Calm down. If anything, he'll be bored in his room, playing video games when he wants to be outside training with me, like he probably thinks I'm doing today." Gohan explained.

Bulma raised a brow, not completely trusting him. "_But you don't understand how important it is that he doesn't find out…"_ She softly whispered.

Gohan's arms found their way around her again. "Of course I do. I know how much it means to you. It means a lot to me too."

The second statement was a lie.

He didn't care if Trunks knew or not.

Between Bulma and Trunks, horrible as he felt, he would choose Bulma.

As long as he held her affections, there was nothing else that really concerned him. Trunks was just a scar. Bulma's scar. The sign that said _'Vegeta's been here.'_

Gohan knew it was sinful to hold a grudge against the boy because of his father being Vegeta and not he. But he could not help it. He prayed Bulma would never find out about this… resentment.

"We should be a bit more careful…" Gohan closed his eyes, nuzzling Bulma's cheek. If being with her-her lover, meant that she was going to do little but warn her not to do anything that would offend her son… His heart ached for her undivided attention.

He didn't expect her to put her above her son.

But…

He felt frustrated with himself for being so selfish. He could not understand why he was feeling this, but he knew it was shameful.

Bulma rested her hand on his cheek and moved her head to the side, brushing her lips against his. He was shocked at this movement at first, it was quite a contrast from the Bulma that had just been warning him not to hold her in case her son were to walk in. His hold on her loosened, and she stood, grabbing his wrist with a gentle care, "Do you want to see my father's gardens?"

He nodded, following her as she jerked him around corners and through corridors. Gohan was almost out of breath but her eyes were sparkling, excited. She pressed a button by a wall. The wall moved up, and she walked through to a world that was almost not real to Gohan.

He hadn't seen such beauty in a long time.

The androids had managed to destroy most of the world's natural beauties. Bulma sat on a swing, looking forward, "When I was little I would come here to think. It's so beautiful and peaceful. My Dad was a cat lover. He took in all sorts of strays. In fact, he told all pounds in the city that if there was any type of animal that did not have a home and they decided to put it to sleep to send it over here. The most wild of animals were tamed under this roof. " She leaned back, content. Under the pressure, the swing moved back and Bulma lifted her legs.

He watched her from the side; she never went very high on purpose so that they could talk, though she motioned for him to take the swing beside her, "I don't know why I came here." She said softly. "It's just a place I know that we would be safe in. That we could spend time in."

She moved her feet down and the swing came to an abrupt stop. Moving off of it, he smiled and she lead him through. She leaned against him after a while, and he just watched her.

She was so beautiful.

She stood there, golden like the sun, and yet as breathtaking as a full moon.

Oh, he was a fool to think he was good enough for her.

A playful smile curled her lips, "Why so quiet, _Son_?" She teased, turning to lean against his chest.

He almost fell back under her weight, not that she was heavy, but that the movement was unexpected.

He blushed a bit, but her arms were tight around him and her lips were so close to his. "I was just thinking…"

She raised a brow, "Oh? About what?" Her voice was so deep, so suggestive.

He grinned; she didn't think he would really go for the bait and kiss her back.

Hence the surprised expression on her face when he gently pressed his lips to hers, "If the androids don't kill me, I'll be willing to bet you will. That's all."

* * *

Juuhachi didn't know what was wrong with her brother, but she didn't like it one bit.

He wasn't being fun anymore.

They went to the mall; he'd endured her shopping tendencies long enough. Hours. At first, she enjoyed his quiet manner. He was so careful not to be too sarcastic, so that she wouldn't get annoyed and respond that they should just leave. But then, she missed his sarcasm. It was so fun to see that she was annoying him.

Ever since that damn woman…

Her jaw jerked.

Juunana was trying to keep her occupied and she would play his game no longer. They'd been through a quarter of the mall, but she was so bored with him trudging behind, carrying her bags, that she came upon the conclusion that she would just suggest they blow up the mall and be done with it.

But of course that went against his new honor code. Since when did he care about promises? Hadn't she always been the one to want honesty and truth to one's word? And here he was, trying to both save his pride and keep his promise to get in this woman's pants at the same time.

It wasn't going to work that way, though.

She would have just a bit more fun with him.

He was letting a silly human woman boss him around, after all.

What made her so special?

"Look, I'm bored. Why don't we just blow this place to Hell and get it over with?"

Juunana seemed to growl from behind the boxes. He threw them to the side, speaking to her in a most serious tone that sent chills up his sister's spine, "Look, we are not going to kill anyone. If you even try, I _will_ kill _you_."

Juuhachi was not afraid of her brother by any means but she knew he was serious and out of love and respect for her brother, she nodded. "Okay, but that doesn't mean you can be stupid about this, Juunana. Look, if you want her attention, then why don't you cause a big deal. Remember how you met her. That guy came to fight us. She came to get him."

"No, no, you've got it all wrong. Blondie came to fight us, okay, point granted, but she came to get her son, his apprentice or something. So even if we manage to bring him here, it wouldn't really matter unless the little brat tagged along. And reading between the lines, she doesn't want him out fighting." Juunana leaned against the walls.

Juuhachi sighed; the only way to calm him down was to get this woman for him.

So why didn't she just kidnap the brat and get it over with?

"Hey, Juu? What if we just kidnap him? Then she'll definitely come."

Juunana rolled his eyes once more, "Oh, that'll get her to love me."

Juuhachi raised a brow. '_Love? He's got to be kidding me. Since when has that word ever been a part of his vocabulary? He can't be serious. First he just wants to find out who he is, then he wants to fuck her, then he stalks her, and now he wants her to love him? That can't imply that… he_…' She couldn't help herself, "Juu, you're in love with this woman?"

Juunana stared at his sister for a few minutes. Yes, he found the woman attractive. Attractive beyond words. But love her?

He scoffed to think of it.

He wanted her. He wanted to sleep with her, he could even see himself making her a permanent thing, but love her?

Her personality was amusing but annoying when he was around her too long. She was way too… strong.

Okay, that was a lie.

Her personality was attractive. Her strength was amusing at all times because she was such a frail little thing. He closed his eyes, tilting his head down in all arrogance, "You mistook my choice of words. I simply meant that kidnapping her son would bring her all too closer to sleeping with me, don't you think? Really, she'd literally jump into my arms."

"But why does she have to want it too? I mean from what you say she must be attracted to you too, so just ignore her emotions." Juuhachi did not understand. She'd never felt the need to go have sex with any human.

_'That's the problem,'_ Juunana bitterly thought, '_I'm not sure if she's attracted to me or not.'_ She seemed to be... somewhat used to him. Not as terrified around him. Well, still on guard. And yes, he noticed that she did tend to shake just a bit. But she didn't cower in fear. She was worthy of him.

Having her wasn't enough, he had to have her, and she had to want it.

Then again, he was not going to play slave to this frail woman. He would not kill… but perhaps his sister's idea would work after all. "Okay." He finally said, smirk on his lips and the old Juunana that Juuhachi finally recognized returned. "So we'll trash the place. But don't whine about burning any dresses or makeup you want, you had your chance. And, don't-"

"Kill anyone? Fine. Just make it look like we have."

This made sense enough to Juunana. What they wanted was a public report. The group would hurry all the more if they thought that there was a large sum of lives there they needed to protect.

And then, he would have her.

He could barely wait, the anticipation, it seemed like he'd been running after he for years.

She was so fascinating.

She never got boring, with her witty tongue and defiant eyes. Yes, he loved seeing her afraid all the more, just because those pretty sapphires would glow in a different way.

He wanted to see her under him, he wanted to feel her and taste her kiss.

Juuhachi, on the other hand, was picking up her boxes and as fast as she could, making an effort to put them all in capsules so not to damage her precious clothing. As she said all too often, she was a woman too, even if she were an android.

Looking towards her brother, the demon with ice blue eyes faced the end of the mall they'd already explored, and then her hand extended. Juunana followed suit, his energy glowing from his fingertips…

Then there was fire and panic.

* * *

He sighed and rested his head against his palms. Fingers entwined, elbows out. "Ugh, why hasn't Gohan left yet? I know Mom's worried about him, but this is ridiculous. You'd think he'd have left to train by now."

Trunks sighed and forced himself to sit up, leaning back on his palms. He supposed if there was nothing better to do, he'd just watch television, there had to be something on.

He sighed, he really didn't feel up to it. Leaning over on his bed, he flipped the radio on, "…. _And reports from West City Mall say it is currently under attack. If you are in the area, please, turn back and head the opposite direction. This is for your safety, of course…"_

Trunks needed to listen to no more. If his mother would not allow his friend to go out after the androids… he thought about going to get Gohan for a moment…

But…

No.

He would do this on his own.

He would do… something.

Anything.

It didn't matter what, as long as… He did something.

He wouldn't kill them. Chances are that he was the one in danger. But he could fight them, he could protect the people, he could save someone, and that made it worth it. That was what this was all about.

This was his choice, and he was to stay with it until the day he died, and if that day was today… then so be it.

Trunks found himself opening his window.

He was out of his mind, but a twisted thought, as masochistic as it seemed, he knew that his mother's beloved Son-San would've done the exact same thing.

* * *

Bulma laughed. She hadn't felt this young in so many years… But she looked to the side, noting that it was past noon.

She needed to go get Trunks and see what he wanted to have for lunch. Despite his protests, Bulma left Gohan. He went towards the kitchen and she towards her son's room.

She worried so… what if he did find out? Nothing in the world mattered to her more than her Trunks. He was all she had left.

Of course she had Gohan, but what she held with her son was something very special that no one could replace and she would not hurt her son.

She would die before her little boy hurt.

"Trunks, Honey, it's time for lunch!" She called through his doorway.

He wasn't in there.

Under any other circumstances, she would've assumed her son had just been elsewhere, but his window was open. Under the breeze, the curtains floated softly about the air.

She panicked, debating getting Gohan. No, she couldn't. Chances were that Trunks went out to go fight with the androids all by himself while she was flirting with Gohan in the lab, oh, she felt so horrible, and if Juunana found him…

She couldn't have Gohan and Juunana talk. She couldn't let Gohan know… But then again, this was her son's life.

Why?

Why did she have to leave him?

Why did he have to go?

Oh, she would've preferred that Gohan had trained than with Trunks than stayed with her and now her son was missing.

Her heart ached and guilt flowed through her.

She was a horrible mother.

Hadn't she just been thinking about what she would do to keep him from hurting? "Without knowing it, I've become a hypocrite…" She murmured softly, tears flooding through her eyes.

_'No,'_ She thought with all stubbornness.

She would find her son on her own.

The woman raced down the hall, the security room was at the end. She would make a last minute search for her son, and then she would research where they were.

If she could go without Gohan, then she could easily talk Juunana out of doing anything to her son.

If Gohan went, then Juunana would assume the truth, that they were together, and her son would have to pay for that.

She could not let that happen.

"Security, I-"

"Good afternoon, Miss Briefs." The computer beeped.

Bulma sighed and rubbed her head; "I need you to do two things for me. First, check for Trunks. Is he in the house?"

The computer grunted, scanning through the house. After fifteen seconds, it responded, "Not found. Trunks Briefs is not in the household or a five mile radius outside Capsule Corporations."

Bulma rubbed her head. She'd been right, but she just had to make sure… "Okay. Now, I need you to check through the RRS. Tell me if there is any news of the androids attacking anywhere within fifty miles of West City." She eagerly asked.

Bulma had created the RRS, Recorded Radio System, so that all reports were saved and archived, in case of emergency attack.

This definitely proved that the invention was useful. "Yes. It is reported that there was an attack on West City Mall only a forty five minutes ago."

Bulma took a deep breath.

She had no choice but to go after him.

She sighed and jogged back to the kitchen. Now, to make up some excuse.

Gohan could sense her energy. He would follow her if he thought she just left. "Gohan, I need to go pick up a few things. I'm taking Trunks with me. Can you go ahead and grab something to eat right now and make yourself at home? I'll be back with something nice for dinner." She waved hastily and turned.

Gohan noticed there was something off about her behavior but had no idea that it was because Trunks had run off. He simply thought it was that she realized at the last minute she needed something and wanted to take Trunks along so that he could get out of the house.

Bulma sighed, couldn't her car go any faster? She hoped it could. She was sure after a few minutes she'd managed to out run a few cop cars trying to intercept her, but her son was in there and the devil himself could not stop her from making it to him.

She was such a horrible person…

She had to tell Gohan it was off.

They were together a day, and look at what happened!

Oh, her son.

Why did he have to go off and play the hero?

She didn't need him to be a hero! She'd lost way too many heroes in her day! She needed a son, not a hero to go out there and risk his life and win over and over again by luck and then one day get killed.

She wouldn't let that happen.

She could barely stand the thought of Gohan dying. Her own son…

It would break her.

She was a strong woman, but the death of her son would definitely break her.

She arrived at the mall and practically jumped out of her vehicle. The police officers had been racing after her, but as soon as she was within the parking lot, the androids started shooting at the cops.

She knew this was Juunana's work. He didn't want to hurt her, and yet he didn't want her there. But there was nothing he could do, was there? What if he accidentally shot her? Bulma sighed.

_ Men._

And the way they thought... Juunana was expecting her.

Good.

She walked in the doorway seemingly carefree enough, but inside she was afraid. Not for herself, but for her son. If that monster hurt him… "Trunks! Trunks, where are you?!" She shouted.

She'd come this far; she wasn't going to go home. Not without her son.

Store after store, story after story, she searched.

She could've sworn that something was following her, but when she called out Juunana's name it didn't respond. And Juunana would've made his presence known. She was in the center of the mall by the water fountain.

"Trunks! If you hear me… Just… Call me, or something!" She tilted her head to the side. She would not admit defeat. The mall was huge. He could've been anywhere. If he were in one of the main department stores then he wouldn't have heard her by a long shot. But if he had… what if he were gagged? Bulma knew she had one choice. "Juunana! _Juunana_"

Her voice echoed throughout the mall, and she waited second after second, minute after minute, feeling useless, as she was not doing anything productive to help her son.

She could take it no more, and she stood.

She turned to find the devil himself leering at her. "Juunana." She practically spat, but she was begging her eyes not to water.

"You've come to visit me for once. What an occasion." He murmured softly, resting a hand on her cheek. He could see she was about to cry and he hadn't imagined it would be like this. He didn't want to see her upset anymore, he didn't know why he cared, but seeing her like this was clearly out of the question. His hand stroked her cheek so softly.

She almost thought that it was a real human touching her with such gentle care. But he was an android, incapable of emotion; he was simply mimicking what he'd seen from other people. "Where is my son, Juunana!? What'd you do to him?"

"Shh… don't cry. Calm down." He regained a bit of himself, moving his hand from her cheek and smirking a bit, "But then you'll owe me. A lot."

"I don't owe you anything, you monster!" She hissed.

Juunana calmly rested a hand on her hair.

Touching her now seemed so necessary.

"Now, now, there's no need for name calling. You know, I've spared your life so many times, you really should be a bit nicer to me."

Bulma tilted her head in the air. Yeah, he'd spared her. Oh, how gracious he was. "Killing is wrong period, and you are sick for finding it fun. People are not your toys!" She cried.

Juunana could barely take this.

He didn't know why. Why did this stupid woman affect him so? He wanted so much for her to understand him. He wanted so much for her to realize the things he had done for her, she didn't have to accept him, but understand him.

She needed to realize that other humans were inferior and deserved to be put out of their miserable existence. But she was different.

She was _special_.

She was _worthy_.

So defiant, and yet here, her only weakness was her son, was it? So, he'd have to use it against her. He sneered, his eyes turned cold once more, "Now, that's no way to talk to the man that controls whether your son lives or dies." His tone was so cold.

Bulma's eyes widened a bit, he couldn't… he wouldn't really… hurt her boy… "No…" She whispered. "No! No! _No_!" She was almost hysterical, "Just… don't hurt him."

"You're a very strong woman. I look up to that, you know. You risked your life to enter an _impossible_ situation to save your son's life. Your son has your blood in him, I can tell. He came to stop us. He gave my sister a bit of a fight, too. She was impressed for someone his size and age. "

"Don't hurt him."

Juunana laughed, "Okay. I won't hurt him, but you do know what you owe me more and more by the minute now. It would be so easy to kill you right now."

That was a lie. He could kill her…

But it would be very far from easy.

Bulma looked at him with disbelief, "You promised me that you wouldn't kill anyone for a week!" She snarled.

What a pig.

"But I guess I never really expected you to keep it."

She turned, but he yanked her wrist. "Oh, yes, seeing as I'm such a _monster_, right? I'll have you know I haven't killed a soul!" He responded, trying his hardest not to scream.

He'd shocked her.

Good.

He would not let her step all over him. He couldn't. He'd lost himself for a moment, catching sight of her so desperate, but now was different.

Bulma stared.

He seemed so offended that she has implied he didn't keep his word. So angry.

But how could she believe that?

He'd wrecked an entire mall.

"You've betrayed me, Juunana." Her voice was so quiet.

Enraged, Juunana could hold himself no longer. How could he make her see? How could he make her understand? She was such an infuriating little woman, was she deaf? Holding her wrist to his chest with one hand, and the other hand on her waist, pressing her to him, Juunana rested his lips on hers, "Now listen, I have put up with a lot of shit from you, but I swear, your son will be the first I've murdered since my little deal with you if you do not**shut up**_."_ His lips were warm. Her smell was even sweeter this close, she was almost intoxicating.

"Don't hurt him." She hissed through grit teeth.

She tried to not enjoy the feeling, but he sent chills down her spine, a sick twist in her stomach that she enjoyed. It was like being on a roller coaster. It took more self-control than she wanted to admit to not kiss him back.

"Leave her **ALONE**!"

Juunana leered and tilted his head down, forcing a kiss, at first. But then, he bit her upper lip. Hard. Bulma made a protest-like moan, but he closed his eyes, he enjoyed the taste of her blood in his mouth all too much. Sucking on her lower lip gently, Bulma felt his hold on her loosen, but she did not budge.

Gohan, watching this, was instantly infuriated.

Juunana let Bulma go, looking to Gohan.

He smirked. A bit of her blood was on his lips.

Gohan stared.

He waited calmly.

"Where's my friend?" Juunana laughed. "Well, I was going to give him back, but since neither of you decided to play nice, then we'll have to wait until another time. Don't worry, we'll take _great_ care of him."

Bulma tried to run to Gohan, half way to get away from Juunana, but something hit her foot as she managed. Gohan was alert, but it turned out to be a necklace.

A beautiful necklace, shining in all of its glory in the light between Juunana and Bulma.

"When you're ready to take your son back, put that on. Don't worry, I'll know."

She could've sworn that his lips brushed hers once more.

She could've sworn Juunana's leg slammed into Gohan, waiting and on guard, and the man fell back creating a crater in the wall.

He was unable to get up to fight, but Juunana was already gone.

She could've sworn.

But he was gone now. With her son. She could've fainted.

_She could've sworn._

* * *

He couldn't have felt worse.

Trunks was missing and it was all his fault.

Bulma had not stopped sobbing since they made it home. Gohan could do little but hold her. "Shh…. Shh… I'll get him back for you, Bulma. I promise. On my life. Don't cry." He whispered.

He was a monster.

He was horrible. How could he have let Trunks and Bulma down like this? The entire fight was one kick to the shoulder, and then Juunana vanished!

He swore.

Bulma, red faced and teary-eyed ran her tongue over the bite where the skin'd been broken. Gohan watched her, thinking that she was reminded of how she was violated earlier. The truth was that something deep inside of her pretended that it was Juunana holding her and Juunana kissing her.

She cursed the thought and leaned into Gohan, he held her, so strong, she knew that there was little reason to despair. Gohan would get Trunks back for her.

And if he couldn't… She became conscious of the bulge in her pocket. She would put on the necklace.

"I'm sorry he did that to you… I wasn't fast enough to…. Save either of you…" He whispered. He was such a poor wreck. Bulma rested her hand on his cheek and pulled his head towards hers.

"Right now we need to regroup and think of a way to get my son back and not feel sorry for ourselves. Trunks is a very strong boy. He'll be fine. For now." She could not help but feel like she was just saying this.

Gohan looked down, '_Shouldn't I be saying this to her?'_ Arms wrapped tightly around her, he kissed her again. "I'll protect you guys, Bulma."

A pair of eyes watched the couple, perched on a tree.

She lied to him.

She was with him all along. Look at that undeserving, insolent, inferior trash touching the woman that he'd claimed! Juunana's jaw clinched.

He saved her life. He protected her. He defended her and spared her and kept his promise to her, and what had she done? Lied. He swore on his life that he would punish this woman.

She kissed him. She let his lips touch hers. He wanted to rip him to shreds for looking at her.

He wanted to do so many things to both of them…

_"You lied to me. That was a very bad idea."_

* * *

How'd you like? Very long, ne? Remember, lots of reviews makes the chapters come faster!

**Next chapter: Juunana has vowed to get back at Gohan. His jealousy can hardly contain him and when Bulma puts on the necklace, rational thinking is obviously not something he's concerned with.**

Hello : ) : Thanks! Update's here!

Xen003: I shall update as quickly as humanly possible!

GethMane8: Thank you. As for the lemon… I don't wanna mess this fic up with a crappy Bouzi Neo lemon, so until I'm ready, we'll stick with lime which I'm considerably good with.

§TaiBulmaChan§ : I'm a B;/V fan too. All secrets stay here. All Hell will break loose. –Grins- That's the fun part. And in her defense, at the time.. she didn't lie about Gohan… she lied about Gokou.

Jay: Fluff! I am… bad at fluff. Hehe, but I will try rather hard to give Bulma and Gohan some fun-fun adult time… not a lemon. You've seen my idea of a decent lemon from me.


	18. Jealousy's Taunt

**Blue Roses**

Bouzi Neo

**Chapter Eighteen: Jealousy's Taunt**

Juunana'd violated her.

He kidnapped Trunks.

He probably murdered hundreds at that mall.

He was going to pay.

He was going to find Juunana and he was going to rip him to shreds. He did not fear any of his enemies and Juunana was not an exception to the rule.

Bulma was asleep though obviously tense next to him. He didn't mean to, but he took advantage of the fact that her son was not there to catch them. Bulma obviously didn't catch this; her state was by far too hysterical.

She needed him to calm her down. As time passed, he helped her out of her clothes and into a clean nightgown. He could not help his eyes from wondering, though the consequences of his actions featured a guilty conscience for the rest of the night.

He felt as if he'd violated his Bulma as Juunana did, as if he, in some way, had tried to take advantage of her. He admitted it to himself, yes; he did want to sleep with her. But tonight was not the time. She'd asked him to stay with her and he happily complied. But now, hours later he was awake and he could not calm his mind.

He could not manage to assure himself that he deserved this rest while Trunks was with those androids, unsafe.

Slowly, to not wake his lover, Gohan sat up. He rested against the headboard for a moment to think of a plan of action.

He had no clue where they were, but he knew they would be in West City. He could look all night and still not find them, but at least he'd have looked and know where not to look for that morning.

He was too anxious to sleep.

And besides, a more primitive voice inside his head was screaming that Juunana had touched his woman and now he would pay, making Gohan offhandedly wonder as he put his shirt on if he was experiencing the same feeling that Vegeta had felt every time that he saw Bulma and Yamucha together all those years ago.

* * *

"So why can't we kill the kid again?"

Juunana growled, "Because we can't."

Juuhachi leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest, "But you just told me that this whore-"

"Don't call her that!" He barked.

Juuhachi rolled her eyes, "Fine. This woman lied to you about being with that guy. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd kill her son, let her see his dead body, kill the annoyance, and then, kill her too."

"Yeah, but you're not me."

"Why does it matter so much?"

"Maybe because I have another plan, dear Sister."

Juuhachi raised a brow and tilted her head towards her brother, "Oh? Enlighten me?"

Juunana shrugged, "Maybe later. Right now, are you up to babysitting?"

"Sure, why not? I just love kids."

Juunana looked towards the room where the woman's son slept. "Look, I don't care if you hurt him, but don't kill him. He should be knocked out for a few more hours. You gave him enough drugs, right?" Juuhachi nodded in response. "Good. I've got things to do."

"You know, you owe me big for watching this brat…"

"No, we're even, because I put up with you and your shopping shit all day. We stopped because **YOU** got bored."

Juuhachi looked down, annoyed. Her hair fell, covering the majority of her face. By the time she was able to say, "Whatever." Darkly, Juunana was gone. "Well, Kiddo, it's just you and me for the rest of the night. Great."

* * *

Juunana was going to die.

By the time Bulma woke up, all of this would be over.

Or so Gohan repeated to himself as he searched from midair in the chilly early morning.

The sky was pitch black. He'd searched West City for an hour, covered much ground, but nothing was found.

_"So is it true what she tells me? That she'd slept with your father, too? I wonder if you can ask her something for me: Who's better? You or your pops?"_

Gohan turned and let out a battle cry, hurling a fist towards the supposed direction of Juunana. His fist crashed into air.

Once again, Juunana spoke from behind him, "Or better yet, I guess I can ask her myself. So, are you her son? I didn't know she was into incest. Or was your father just having an affair? I suppose that would be a tad bit better. Coming from a broken home, then banging your father's mistress as soon as he kicks the bucket."

"I don't," Punch, "Know," Once again, air, "What you're," His fist forced through the breeze, "Talking about," So close, "But," Gohan turned again, "Stay still!"

The silent night was disturbed by Juunana's vicious laughter. "You're so mad you can't even keep up with me." His smirk died as he glared daggers at Gohan, piercing through the night more keenly than any of Gohan's punches, "I'd expect better."

He was going to make this man fall to his knees. How dare he think he was good enough to even touch his woman? She belonged to him. He claimed her. And if she wouldn't have him… he would kill her son. Then, he would kill Gohan. Then, after she thought it couldn't hurt anymore, he would kill her.

"You wanna see better?!" Gohan shouted, rushing towards Juunana.

The android blocked the kick but in the process did not have enough time to block the left hook soaring straight towards him. He fell back a bit, but caught himself well enough and sent a fist at a keen velocity towards Gohan.

Gohan caught the fist head on, and managed to block a kick as well, but concentrating on holding Juunana's force from two points was too much and when he gave out a little on his fist in his hand, Juunana ripped his fist back and before Gohan could tilt his head up in surprise, it connected with his cheek.

The Saiya-Jin flew back some, but Juunana did not follow. Once Gohan regained stature, the two stared at each other for a few silent moments, only feet away, before Gohan once again attempted to take Juunana on head-on.

Juunana lifted his hand to catch a punch, but that was not Gohan's target. Gohan grabbed Juunana's head and forced their foreheads together, ignoring the pain in his own. Juunana smirked, gripping Gohan's and they repeated, grunting each time, ignoring bruises, ignoring pain, ignoring sweat. Simultaneously, the two let go of each other, taking a few steps back to recover.

Juunana jumped at Gohan, who grabbed his arm and forced it back, sending his body into the cold, hard road. Gohan roughly followed.

Juunana hadn't stood yet, anticipating the attack, and grabbed Gohan's face between his feet, flinging the body down beside him in the ground.

Juunana stood, grabbing a panting Gohan by the hair and he shoved his face back in the cool soul under the concrete. When Gohan's hands tried to force him up, implicating that Gohan couldn't breathe, Juunana smirked and lifted his head, but only for a quick second before thrusting his head back down into the ground.

Desperate, Gohan reached for Juunana's ankle to pull him forwards, but the attack didn't work for Juunana let go of his head and pushed his foot into Gohan's side causing him to loose grip of his light hold on the other fighter.

Knocked out of breath, Gohan instinctively lifted his head from the ground to breathe. Repeating the action, Juunana smirked as Gohan's eyes rolled back.

He crouched down beside the man, "Now, I know you can hear me, but you're probably too weak right now to get up and wipe the smirk off of my face. So," He gripped Gohan's hair to tilt his head up so that the two could look one another in the eyes, "Here's a word of the wise, because, honestly, I respect the fact that you actually managed to survive this little run-in, leave her alone. She is mine, she belongs to me, and if you touch her again," His fist clinched, holding tighter to his hair, "I will crush you. I hope we're really clear on that." Juunana let his head drop back into the soil, standing and walking carelessly away. He tilted his head back to look at Gohan's bloody mess, "Oh, and, you really need to learn how to fight when you're angry. _You could've done better."_

* * *

Her eyes shot open. She could've sworn someone… something was on her, pressing down against her chest, but when she sat up… all was silent.

But something was wrong.

Where was Gohan?

The spot was not warm, but the covers where he'd slept were still worn and she imagined him sitting up and leaving her.

She wanted to scoff.

_'To go off and do something stupid. Like his father. Like everyone I know._' She tilted her head to the right, the clock's bright green numbers glowed in the darkness and reality crashed on her. She felt small and afraid for her son. She shifted to the side, letting her legs drop to the floor and slowly taught herself how to walk again.

Trying to calm herself, she went to the bathroom and brushed her hair and teeth, rubbed her head, nothing took away the anxious feeling. Slowly, she pulled on her robe, but on her vanity there was a familiar sparkle.

She glared at the necklace that he'd left for her so arrogantly, but her face looked sad for a moment as she pocketed it and rushed out into the deep night.

Bulma shivered as a breeze combed her hair sending a chill down her neck. She pulled her robe a bit tighter and once again became conscious of the necklace. It was so stupid, to think that it would actually work…

But Trunks… she didn't know if she could honestly wait for Gohan to make a move. That wouldn't save Trunks any faster. '_But_,' something inside argued, _'that state of mind is what got you into this as it was. If you'd just gone to Gohan… maybe …' _She shook her head to rid herself of unpleasant thoughts.

Trunks was alive right now.

But testing Juunana's patience when he wanted her to do something so silly and simple…

With a sigh, "I'll humor you." She scoffed, reaching into the pocket of her robe.

* * *

Juuhachi sighed and looked over towards the room. The door was open, she could see him. He was breathing too heavily to be sleeping, but apparently the kid thought she was stupid.

With a slight amused smirk, she tilted her head towards the door, addressing him, "Hey, Kid, have you ever felt like the one person you give a damn about is chasing after the one person that doesn't deserve it?"

There was a silence but her keen sight caught the boy moving slightly from under the covers. Juunana made quite sure that his accommodations were adequate. "I _know_ you're awake. You might as well amuse me."

Trunks flushed a bit, "Yes. I know exactly what that feels like."

Juuhachi raised a brow, "So tell me."

"Why would I even want to talk to you?"

"Because I could rip you to shreds and you might as well talk while you can. I told Juu I wouldn't kill you, I said nothing about not ripping your tongue out for being a little prick."

"My mother is in love with someone that is dead. I don't know if she even cared about my father."

Juuhachi closed her eyes, remembering two "father figures" of her own, "Kid, take my advice, don't weigh so much when it comes to your dad. Parents, past, don't worry about it. Dead-beat-dads cause nothing but pain."

"I'm just _sure_ you've experienced that." He hissed, "And my father was murdered, I'll have you know."

"Then it sounds like he didn't deserve to live if he was killed."

"He was attacked by two at a time."

"I see. " Juuhachi crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I guess you think it sucks to be you. But you're alive, aren't you? You survived the fight and he didn't. You leave it behind and bury it where it is or else you'll end up going crazy. I've seen humans do it before. Humans are so…"

"I'm more than just a human, you know!"

"Yes, I know. You're like him, aren't you? You can change your hair and eye color when your strength gets to a certain point, can't you? Or do you not know?"

"I know I can."

"Have you?"

"…Yes."

Juuhachi laughed a bit, "No, you haven't. You're just a kid. And you lie badly, for the record."

"You shouldn't sound so all-knowing when it comes to humans. One would start to think you observe them because you wish you were like us, you heartless machine."

Another knowing, almost sad smile from Juuhachi, "You just said you weren't just a human."

"Because I accept the human part of me."

Trunks shot back. "You can only watch us and try and imitate us."

"I'll tell you something, Kid," Juuhachi pushed off of the wall and headed towards his room, sitting on the foot of his bed, "Not everything we do is merely imitating your pathetic human behavior."

* * *

_"It looks gorgeous on you. I knew it would."_

Bulma sighed, "Where is my son?"

"Asleep in a warm bed with soft sheets and all that jazz. My sister is babysitting."

"And Gohan?"

"Oh, yes, your _boyfriend_," Bulma flushed, "I asked him to ask you, but given his present… state," He smirked as she gasped a bit, "I guess he can't. So, do tell me, which is better? _Dear old Dad or the New Generation?"_

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of _course_ you don't. I mean, _you_ wouldn't. Women are such hypocrites, you know. My sister, for example, is all about truth and keeping promises but when I promise you I won't kill anyone it's not a huge deal. When she promises a shop owner she won't kill her because he tells her she's beautiful enough times and I blow up the store, I get yelled at, but, hey, it's okay to start being dishonest when it's not on her conscience. And you, well, you babble tearfully about how I betray you when, you, on the other hand, are banging the very guy you told me only days before that you had absolutely no interest in. Now, either you have a death wish, you're just used to leading guys on, or –"

"I never hinted at anything between us, Juunana! And at the time... I wasn't with him."

Juunana laughed, "Okay, let me get this straight. So hours after you tell me you see him as a kid, you get with him?"

"What is wrong with you?"

"You know damn well what's wrong with me. You are what's wrong with me. Now, I never did believe in rape, but you know what? You want me. You've wanted me from the second you saw me and you are such a stubborn bitch you won't admit it. Oh, and you _owe_ me. If that's okay with your _boyfriend_, though I don't think he's going to mind from that hole I left him in."

"You didn't-"

"I did and I'd happily do it again. I have given you so much… and I quite frankly lost all patience with you. What did you think it meant, you're supposed to be smart? Face it, you want me and you don't want that _boy_ to know about it, and I don't mean your kid. You keep on '_accidentally'_ putting yourself in situations where _you_ owe _me_, and now I'm not so sure I'm going to be a gentleman and _wait_ for my repayment."

"Juu-"

"Oh, so _now_ I'm 'Juu'! _Now_, here it comes. You are _pathetic_. It makes me sick… Does this scare you?" His eyes glared knives as he approached her slowly, she stepped back, "Or does it thrill you? Knowing that you are the flesh, you are the hunted?" She panicked when her back hit a wall, but before she could turn, Juu'd pinned her back down, "Is this what you want? Do you want me to take you, right here, no invitation?"

"You never cared what I wanted!" His lips brushed hers. She squealed and squirmed but his hold on her was light enough that she could've gotten away and Juunana made sure of that.

His lips tugged into a smirk against hers, panting for air, "Is infidelity something that you're used to or does it just come easy to all women?"

* * *

Notes: I am debating having a relationship between Juuhachi and Trunks. Now, here is one of the few chances where I want YOUR opinion. Here are the choices: A.) They tolerate each other, dare I say friendship. B.) One-Sided crush, Trunks. C.) One-Sided crush, Juuhachi, D.) Secondary couple, E.) Hint at it!, or F.) Let's have a little J/T, maybe a kiss or something/Other suggestions.

If you choose another suggestion, please leave an email or way of contact if you're not signed in so that if I like the idea enough and it fits into the plot, I can email you to discuss it and put in the dedication and credit.

P.S.: Like the new format?!

Next Time: She woke up and she didn't know where she was or why she was laying on top of a male that was so obviously not Gohan. "You need to remember," He told her, "That you're not in control anymore."

Reviewer's Corner: 

Whimsical Lady: I'm sorry. I wasn't updating cause I was away for a few weeks with my family. My cousins are moving to Alabama so I went to Alabama for a week and then I went to go spend time with the other one that would be following shortly. Also, I've been setting up the edits, I don't know if you noticed, but there were a LOT of typos and stuff and I wanted to fix as many as possible. I'm hoping you enjoyed!

Just Me: Juuhachi… well, see the above note, but I do know that there is a chance she and Bulma might get along a little bit in the future.

Erica: Hehe! After sixteen pages? Hell yes, I stopped! Do you know how long it took to edit that? Hehe. Trunksies will be fine as long as Juu wants in Bulma's pants, don't worry.


	19. Moist Black Velvet

**

* * *

Blue Roses**

Cool grains flowed from a paper container onto her wrist. Without really being aware of the world, her situation, who she was, she groaned. "Don't move. You'll spill it."

Bulma blinked. Something… something heavy… cold…

Chains.

"Juunana! Where am I? What am I-?" Her body tried to jerk up, but the device of her bondage pulled her back down, and he tried to soothe her.

"Shh, calm down. You know what I envy most of you humans?"

Bulma blinked, looking up at the dark form she could barely make out to be Juunana.

Juunana grinned, "Nothing."

"You don't envy not having dreams? Not being able to taste or feel or touch, or even see things the way we can?"

A dark chuckle, "Oh, I can see and taste and touch as you can, and I dream. I dream of you a lot." He bent his head down, and when Bulma flinched, his head turned. She blinked as she felt his tongue glide over the very wrist he'd put… something on.

"What're you doing?"

"Having desert. You missed dinner."

"You didn't…"

"Rape you? Not yet, but keep accusing me of it and it might stay on my mind so often I'll have to consider it." More cool, thin bits on her sticky wrist.

"What _is_ that?"

"Artificially flavored sugar."

"Stop… doing that." She shifted as she could, but between the chains and Juunana's sitting on her, she couldn't move much.

"You need to remember…" His eyes glittered in the horrible black light as he looked upon her, fiery lust danced in his eyes, and he bent his head down to taste her again, "That you are not the one in control anymore."

"…" She hesitated. "Why did you chain me?"

"I've always been a bit of a sadist."

"You sick bastard…"

The room echoed with his rich laughter, "What are you gonna do? Shake your fingers at me? Please, scream for your boyfriend, I bet he's still blacked out."

This was the first time that she even _remembered_ Gohan. She flushed, "Stop that!" His laughing ceased, but the amused look did not. Quietly, she admitted, "I really do like Gohan. Why did you have to do that to him?"

He sat up, lifting a hand in annoyance, "See, there you go again. 'Oh, Juu, stop that,'" He mocked a feminine tone, " 'Oh, I'll owe you this and that. Just don't tell my boyfriend, and don't knock him cold when you find out about him.' Really. You can sound so stupid. Because I'm really going to let him just touch you. Because I'm really going to stand by and not do anything about it."

"But you didn't have to do that!"

"He was the one that challenged me. I was being threatened and I defended myself."

She was worried about Gohan, but most of all she was worried for her son. She sighed, wishing she could roll over onto her side and hold herself. At least pretend to hold her son. Her voice softened, "…Alright. Fine. You got me. I put on the necklace and I accept whatever you want me to do… but please… Leave Trunks alone."

Juunana laughed, "You think it's just that simple? Of course you do. Sex for one night, and then I let it all go?"

"What do you want?"

"Let's put it this way… New plan. So I let your son go. But I mean he doesn't know about you and the other guy, does he? And I'm doubting he's gonna be all too happy when he finds out about his mom banging his teacher. Now, what a way to break up the family. Especially after I tell him that not only have you had his teacher, you've had his teacher's teacher."

Bulma gasped. How could he possibly… "No!"

"Okay. Good response. So how could you persuade me to forget all of this?"

"I never did anything with-"

"Lying? No. What else do you have?"

Bulma sighed, "What do you want me to do?"

Juunana's voice dropped to a deathly low, "Listen to me very carefully: You are going to stay in my company for a little while and I will let your brat go. If you run, my sister will tell your son and you can have a nice family reunion."

"What are you ultimately aiming for?"

"Getting a few pests out of the way."

"And how exactly do I aid you in your master plan?"

"You provide entertainment to me. That in itself will be quite the job. So be a good girl until I kill your boyfriend, will you?"

She stared at him, "No… Don't…"

" 'Don't kill him'? Really, don't you think you're starting to ask a lot? You're right, there isn't a lot you can offer me. But if you insist, I suppose I'll have to tack that on."

"Where is my son?"

"Oh, you haven't noticed that one yet? He's right there." Juunana motioned towards a room opposite of theirs. On the bed, Trunks stared at his mother with such disgust and anger…

"You… evil…"

He grinned.

"You EVIL DEMON!" She yanked against the chains to pull herself up, and when they finally gave out, she ran towards the room.

He smiled pleasantly, sitting on the corner of the bed, examining his nails.

"Trunks!" She rushed towards the end of the hall, but as she reached the open room the picture of her son faded out. "Trunks!" She stared for a moment, almost in disbelief at the fact that the rush-one moment she was worried more than anything for her son's life, then it occurred to her, most to her shame, that she was bargaining with a devil so that he not tell her son about an affair… and then, of all things, to let her son see her with the monster that had destroyed all things… Juunana was wrong. She was not attracted to him. She _couldn't_ be. But the fact that it _looked_ like she was. Mindlessly backing away from the room, she murmured softly, only his keen ears heard her, her lips barely parted as the words escaped her lips, "A… hologram…"

He grinned, stifling a laugh.

"You conniving…"

"You don't have to flatter me."

"Evil…"

"But if you insist…"

"Son of a bitch!" Her hand moved across his face so easily. He looked up after a few moments.

"Now…" He said softly, "I have been a gentleman and I have blackmailed you with honor and kind terms. I could be doing worse to you right now with no conditions on my part… But you just had to be yourself, I suppose. So, instead of not seeing the boyfriend, I'm afraid I'm going to have to not let you see your son before we begin either. My sister will escort him home."

Bulma stared at him blankly.

"Because you just had to forget who is in control here and who determines if your son lives or dies. Never forget that, _please_. It just makes this so much easier for everyone."

"But…"

"Discipline is so hard. And I really wanted to start off this relationship on good terms."

Bulma moved slowly towards him, closer, closer, her hand slowly caressed his cheek. Her lips moved gently across his shoulder. He raised a brow. "You're going to have to try harder. You're going to have to think outside the box."

"I don't…"

"Not now…"

She blinked.

"This type of thing is never fun without an audience." She leaned against the room's wall and he bent over, licking her lips, "And guess who I have in mind?"

"Gohan."

He grinned.

"You knew I would…" He had the audacity to actually trick her into… Outraged, she literally twitched to strike him again, to curse him and to stomp and throw a temper-tantrum…

But she couldn't. He made himself clear, as he wanted to. Oh, she would eventually get what she wanted, but it all came at a price much higher than the first.

"I control your visitation rights when it comes to your son. Remember that next time. And remember the things I can do. If you want to see your son, hurt your boyfriend."

"You sadistic…"

He pressed a finger against her lips. "Watch your temper."

Her lips parted, and she slowly licked the tip of his index finger. He grinned.

"You're getting the picture now. "

* * *

"Are you hungry?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't, but until my brother gets back it's my job to baby-sit."

"He hasn't been back in a day."

Juuhachi sighed, "Are all humans so difficult? Honestly, and I thought he was going to let you see your mother too."

"If you want to be nice, then let me go."

"You know what? This isn't about you. So sit down, shut up, and only talk if you need something."

He fumed, staring at the wall. His stomach sounded and he blushed.

She sighed, "You are hungry."

"So what? I won't take anything from you."

"Humans are also stupid. Look, you can eat or you can starve, but if you're hungry when my brother gets back and he gets pissed off at me, I'm really going to not be happy."

"Why is it so important that you take care of me?"

"How should I know?"

"Don't you think that your brother should include you in the plans?"

Juuhachi smirked. Of course he was trying to trick her into turning against her brother, but of course she knew her brother's intentions. "He's my family, you little worm. We do things for each other because that's all we have. We're barbaric not like you. We're sophisticated."

"And he does things like this for you?" Trunks wasn't as aggressive this time. 'Why isn't my family like that, where we look out for each other? I mean not that Mom doesn't but…'

"What do you want to eat?"

* * *

"So, what are we going to do?"

The night was like moist black velvet. They were standing over a body of water; she knew that from earshot, but as far as sight she could only see the lustrous black water without movement, but it reflected neither streetlight nor natural light.

It was his power. He had taken her there, on the cold moonless night, and as she shook he gathered power, enough to be seen on the physical level, and the limit of her perspective was a faint blue glow coming from a glossy distance.

Bulma took a deep breath, "I have an hour with him."

"And if you want to keep it…?"

"No talking about anything."

"Good. And trying to escape will result in…" He lifted a finger.

Bulma sucked in air this time, "Gohan's death."

He grinned, "You are smarter than you act. Remember that." He pulled out a tie, wrapped it around her head, and spoke again, "We can do this the easy way or the fast way. If I fly, it'll be a few seconds. If we walk, it'll take longer. What do you want to do?"

"Wal-"

"Fly? Fine with me." His arm slid around her waist. She moved to pull away, and he leered at her. She stopped struggling, he held her with a peculiar care. Tightly, like she was something precious, but in a way also roughly, so much like a child clings to his favorite toy and batters it at the same time.

He landed with the elements of grace on his side and set her down. Juunana pulled off the tie, and pulled the doors open, "Hey, Kid."

Trunks was to his feet immediately, "Where's my mother?!"

"Hold on, Kid. Let her get through the door."

"And Gohan?!"

"Well, you'll be seeing him soon enough. So say goodbye to Mommy and let's go."

"Trunks, calm down…" Her voice soothed. He ran to embrace her.

"Mom!" Her right hand held his head to her chest, her other held his body to hers, and she slowly rocked him without either really noticing it. Trunks was not ashamed. His worry for his mother, his need to see and protect her and his feeling as if he'd failed her in some way or another was too great now to protest, and he really didn't want to.

"It's a really touching scene." Juuhachi commented.

Juunana watched with interest as mother held son. He'd never yearned for a mother figure himself, though he knew how common it was of men to be attracted to the attention and affection in a mother-son relationship. He'd always mocked such creatures, but now he noticed that the certain softness of the way she would touch her son compared to the graceless embraces she would him.

He envied the boy that held so much attention and love from her when he held nothing of her but annoyance and anger.

As much as he wished to control her, much more he wished for her to care for him and think, he almost wanted her to think kindly of him and enjoy his company.

He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. She denied all attraction to him and would babble on about the boyfriend, but it was obvious that she needed more than the boy next door.

He was the "bad guy" in the story; after all, he could offer her a lot more than the alternative could by physical and perhaps even emotional means. But that didn't make much sense; she of all people was involved with his enemies, and she of all people was the one he wanted.

He was not lying when he said that he'd dreamt of her.

Juuhachi rested a hand on his arm and he snapped back to their reality, "It's time for me to take him back."

Without completely recovering from his daze, Juunana lunged forward and before Trunks could move to defend himself and before Bulma could move in the way of the blow, the boy was on the floor, out cold.

"How could you?!"

"He's fine."

"You HURT my son!" Bulma was on her knees, Trunks' head in her lap. She pet him, sniffling and holding herself as Juuhachi pulled him away from her. Bulma stood, almost making the first step to run after the two, but Juunana's hand on her arm proved to be a reminder.

"Come on,"

"What? What? You expect me to take this sitting down?" She was on edge of hysterics, a crying mess, and he felt bad for her but not enough to allow her son to come back. She had, though she would never admit it, been attracted to him, but now, no. No matter what she would never forgive him for striking her son. She jerked her elbow away from him.

"Now, you know he would've found out about things he shouldn't know if he hadn't left."

"But why did you hit him!?"

"He's a little bit more in-tune to nature than you are and if he knows how to find us right now that makes things bad. We went out of our way to establish this location for the simple reason that it is, in simple terms on the edge of the Earth with technological support of various kinds to boot. Earlier it wasn't necessary to be here, but now that we have you and you're more permanent than he is, we need an alternative way of hiding you."

"Alternative?"

"We gave him a few happy pills to calm him down and keep him un-noticeable."

"You…"

"Yes, how dare me. I know."

She couldn't think of what to say for a moment, and the fury only tied her tongue more, "I… I hate you!"

He looked amused for a moment, and then his arm slithered around her waist, "You will love me eventually."

* * *

As Gohan slowly stood from his puddle of blood and mud, he let out a thunderous roar of rage, his fist slamming deep into the Earth's surface, "Damn you!"

Trunks was gone.

He'd left Bulma alone.

He'd let Bulma down.

God help her. This was a big mistake.

* * *

Okay. Sorry for the lack of updates! I really have no notes…

Next Time: Gohan searches for Bulma while at the very same moment she's doing things with Juunana, but the most questionable part of the affair: Does she really enjoy it?

Reviewer's Corner: 

Vegeta Goddess: Thanks! 100 Anke! You make me so happy. I'm considering doing T/J. Not sure on it yet even with the votes. I love Juu, too!

XangelLoverX: Thanks for your suggestion. Next time please leave a comment concerning the actual story.

Akira Tanaka: Thanks! Really, I am flattered with your kind words and I do hope that you will continue to enjoy my fic.

DuvetMystify: So sorry for the lateness with updates!

Kisu: As for your opinion concerning the couple, I am considering seriously a J/T relationship and I am not sure which way I will go B/G or B/J, but from now for the next few chapters I know it will be leaning towards B/G probably because Bulma is gonna get really ticked off with Juunana next chapter. Oops, I said too much!

Wolf Rain: I am not sure who it will end with… But I do know that it will go towards G/B next, and then J/B and then some other stuff happens that I can't say!

Loraine: Juuhachi is android 18. But yeah. Next time please leave a comment concerning the fic and not just your opinion on a vote.

Licensed to Kill: Thanks! Original! Woo!

Sk8er Gurl: Here's the update! So sorry it took so long. I hate school.

Bulma-Fan: A lot of people don't really6 support it but most of my support-people that I consult when in doubt do… So I am not yet sure of what to do… or what I would prefer to do myself.. and I think it really doesn't matter a lot right now.

Erica: Heh. Look ahead, there will be a lot of G/Bness!


	20. Special Treatment

Note: I love everyone, and I've been updating like crazy. So now I would like to list the fics I will currently be focusing on for the next while: Never Ever, Crush, Unfaithful, Blue Roses, Bad Assumptions, Worthy, Disaster, Feed The Darkness, Chemicals. This is the most at one time that I have tried to focus on, in addition to other updates, completing Gift From God, Giving In, and Spirits Within, and uploading a new fic as soon as I finish up Blue Roses, Unfaithful, or Bad Assumptions. All the other fics are probably going to be epics and long as hell. Blue Roses too is an epic, but will not have a sequel and seeing as we're on chapter 20, you can see where there probably won't be much longer working on it, or so I hope.

**Blue Roses**

Lemony Nymph

Apprehensive smiles in broad daylight, the two men tried to comfort each other about Bulma's disappearance.

Gohan said sweet things. Trunks thought they weren't true. His obsession with his mother's long dead friend rendered him unable to discern many things, not realizing the only man of Son blood that had ever had an affair with his mother stood right next to him.

Gohan stared at the boy, a sense of affection for him set his conscience free, slave to the former guilt of loving what was never supposed to be his.

He did not question his young friend on the traumatic events, not until the boy seemed to be able to speak once more.

There was nothing left to do now other than accept. Accept the fact that he'd failed his blue rose, accept the fact that Juunana was right-unlike his father, always graceful and more importantly, tactful in battle, he could not fight as well when he was angry. Accept. Accept the fact that Bulma was now Juunana's slave until he could free her.

* * *

Juunana stared at her. She looked so sad. He wanted to tear that sadness away. But she only wanted her son.

Her son and perhaps someone else.

"That's enough of that. Come here."

She looked up, an annoyed glare, "What is it?"

Juunana frowned, she had a way of killing fun. He couldn't have sex with her if she didn't want it. He didn't know why, he didn't want to know why, but if she didn't seem to even want him, to think about him in some sort of way similar to the way he did her...

What was the point?

And then, he thought of killing her in a moment of annoyance, but he didn't do anything but look at her. She stood in front of him, and his hands traced her lips, he let out of a sigh, why did they feel like rose petals?

And there it was, he wanted her, to make her his, for her to stand by him while the world became his playground. Ruling a world of monkeys didn't really suit him, but fun, "Yes, we'll have a lot of fun."

"Come on. We're going out."

She stared at him, but when he exited, she followed with an annoyed curiosity.

"You can go ahead and try and figure out where we are. You can go ahead and try to have him come save you. But you know that won't be smart, don't you?"

She sighed.

She wanted Gohan.

Oh, the sweet smile and the precious arrogance, oh, to see him. And it was perhaps love that made her smile when she walked by Juunana's side.

"You there."

The man stopped and stared at Juunana, shaking in fear a bit.

"Well? I need a car. Give me one now."

The owner nodded, moving about, and returned with boxes upon boxes of capsules with cars, beautiful cars that Bulma thought she'd never seen before, and she couldn't help but smile a bit, just a little bit, at the respect and the perks of sitting next to him as he would turn to her and ask her if she liked this color, or that style.

And at first, she would respond with, "I don't care," Or, "Sure, whatever you like." But then, after seeing colors that reminded her of a time of parties among the elite, she sighed a bit, and he smiled when she began to respond with honesty.

And so they took what they had, without charge, which was another perk, and when they left, Juunana did not destroy the shop, and she looked at him with a bit of an odd expression, and he knew she was impressed, though she didn't want to be.

And as she sat next to him in the first chosen vehicle of the thirty or so they chose, she thought of Gohan when she looked out into the sky so blue, and she thought of Gohan when she leaned against the firm seats, and it was like she was sitting in Gohan's lap, leaning against Gohan's chest, and her desire for the man seemed to swell until she couldn't stop smiling.

But Juunana asked not why she was happy, he didn't seem to care in the least, but he noticed, and he assumed that she was finally starting to loosen up.

How wrong he was.

And so when he began to destroy buildings, she frowned and he laughed, "No one's in there."

"How do you know?"

"I'm magic. I have sensors, you know."

And it was for the first time that she remembered her company wasn't human.

"Don't you feel it? That vicious rage, all the stress, it goes away," He would whisper and she would stare at him, "The energy, all of that pain that time has caused you..."

And when he handed her a sort of gun, and pointed to a building, claiming it was vacant, she hesitantly picked it up and looked through it. And though not completely sure of the reliability of the weapon, it claimed the same thing.

And so she fired, and with a whooping sort of noise, a small flash, the building crumpled to the ground and she felt small, and yet big against the noise of destruction that she'd created.

But it was the memory of Gohan that made her set it down, against the smile, that the stress had been lifted somehow, and the charming smile of his made it all go away until Juunana caught on to her boredom and to a city they went.

"Your clothes look horrible. You're going to change. Something nice, if you will. Then we can eat."

"You don't eat." She stared at him.

"I don't _have _to eat. I _can._"

"I don't understand how that's possible." As a scientist, she knew for a fact an artificial creation trying to consume human food could ruin, well it could cause all sorts of chaos inside the machine.

"You don't need to." And he parked, and he followed a few feet behind her as she looked through the stores. It was a nice city. Or it had been. It was relatively untouched, she knew she'd been there before, she remembered names but no faces, or styles and prices, but no names.

She wanted to run. Badly. But her Gohan, her precious sweet Gohan was hanging in the balance, not to mention her son, and she could not allow either to feel Juunana's wrath.

So she smiled a bit, "I like this." A modest dress.

"That's a store for pregnant women." Juunana raised a brow.

"It looks comfortable."

"What are you?" Juunana blinked a moment, grabbing her wrist, not too gentle, and lead her to another store, "Juuhachi likes this one."

And Bulma could see why. Exquisite dresses were hung from wall to wall, and Bulma practically trembled to try them all on. They were fancy, for occasional parties, not for lunch with a villain, but he pointed to one that was red, then one that was blue, then one that was purple, and before she knew it, she was in tight black silk with gloves, with boxes upon boxes of dresses, all unpaid for, that he'd gotten simply because he liked them in her.

It was sweet. In a way. A weird way. But the entire time, her heart sank when it was him smiling in the corner and not her dear Gohan.

"Shopping is more fun when you're here." He murmured, hours later, brushing a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "You're certainly a picky thing, though."

She laughed despite herself. It was not the first time she heard that. The sky flooded with pinks and purples, it looked majestic almost.

Juunana, as much as he enjoyed watching her in one skin-tight outfit and another, had had plenty of her type of fun, the female kind, and grabbed her wrist again, "You haven't eaten all day."

"But I'm fine."

He grunted a bit, and she was forced to follow him into the most beautiful restaurant she'd ever seen.

Now, if he was anyone else, she would've been impressed beyond words that someone would do these things for her, but not him. He was evil. He stole. He intimidated store manager after store manager, and though it was amusing, just a little, that she was not afraid of him and they were, it wasn't the same.

She was even more surprised to see Juuhachi come from behind after they'd been served.

"What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you for a moment. _Alone_."

Juunana frowned, his sister's tone did not imply this was stupid news. He looked to Bulma, "Go on. Go get a coffee and a desert."

She stood, happy to be freed from his presence so once again she could dream of her Gohan, and the devil's sister sat in her place. In hushed voices, they began to speak..

* * *

Gohan sighed. "Something to drink."

The tender stared at him for a moment, raising a brow. "Sir, we are a formal place.."

"I'm sure you won't mind if he joins Madame."

Gohan turned, jumping at the voice. "Bulma!"

She smiled, her heart was jumping from her chest and she leaned against him, no worry of Juunana, nothing could've stopped her from embracing Son Gohan at that moment, "I love you," She whispered, "God, I love you."

"Madame?" The tender stared, shaking a bit.

She broke from Gohan, resting her hands on her hips, "Yes, and I believe my little brother asked for a drink. You wouldn't want me to get up and inform my company you were treating us badly."

The man paled.

"Juunana is here!" Gohan whispered as the man turned in an instant.

"Yes. If he sees me with you, he'll kill Trunks," She breathed, "But when I saw you, I needed to just..."

"I know."

"Where is Trunks, by the way?"

"I can't tell you that, just know he's among friends. I didn't want him with me. Not until this gets settled. It doesn't seem... safe."

"I love you." She whispered again, taking her drink. "But you need to go. Take your drink and go."

He stared. "No. I'm going to fight."

"No! God, please, no! Not while Trunks is at risk. I promise, I will send word some way, somehow, for you to come and save me... But not here. Not now." She leaned against him, a quick, rushed embrace.

And after two minutes of his company, he took the drink, reaching for his wallet, and blinked a bit when she waved him off.

"Don't worry about it."

And he looked at the tender, still shaking, "Please, I apologize most sincerely... Just take your drink, Sir."

Gohan stared at Bulma for a moment, she seemed used to this behavior already, and he frowned, but he turned, "If Trunks wasn't hanging in the balance, I would murder him for looking at you."

"He hasn't touched me. I swear."

"You're sure you're alright?" He felt stupid, but her words were soothing.

"Yes. Go. Now. Before he comes back."

And like that, her love left. And she needed him, to come back and hold her, and she needed him to rest his lips on her and give her strength, but she straightened her back and looked ahead, cool when Juunana would return.

"I'm sorry that took so long."

"What's wrong?"

"New news." Juunana looked ahead, motioning for some sort of desert.

Bulma set her fork down, "What's wrong?"

"You won't like it."

She paled, "What's wrong, Juunana?"

"Your kid. He's apparently looking for you and got in some sort of trouble."

* * *

Crap? Eh? Dunno. 


	21. Choices

**Blue Roses**

"We've got to find him, Juu!" She was breathless. Oh, no, not him, not her son, not him, no, no, no... why?

Something deep from within snapped at that moment as she sat next to a maniac android driving wildly about in search of her son, something just let go or broke or _died _while she sat there, and there instead was that one question that she tried so hard not to ask, _Why?_

She wasn't a bad person. She wasn't always a great person, but she wasn't a bad one. Juunana was a bad person. He killed and thrived on other peoples' terror, he was a sadistic little creep and he loved it. And yet he was so happy, he really was, Juunana was content in his life. He got whatever he wanted, one way or another.

Juunana is not a person, she firmly told herself. Bulma stared, blinking because for a moment that had lasted ten moments, she really had convinced herself that Juu was Human. There was some sort of guilt behind that. She didn't want to think of him as Human. It was easy to think of him as a Human, not just because he could form his own thought processes and he had his own desires and opinions, but because he almost defined human nature. Juunana was what every person wants to be, but cannot out of fear of not being accepted or of just taking the risks and one circumstance after another kept her from...

She wanted to let go. Bulma blinked, staring ahead and her eyes were so focused but she could not see because she knew that Juunana was watching out for her boy and Juunana would find him and there was some sort of comfort that allowed her to finally stop killing herself from worry. _The greatest threat was now on her side._

She wanted to be just like Juunana. She didn't want to hurt anyone, and yet she did. She wanted to know what it was like to go on such a power trip, to be his equal and by his side as opposed to...

Bulma closed her eyes and tried very hard to calm her wild thoughts, jumping from one way to another. The car jerked. He told her to stay, and for once she did. In her desire for power in the relationship, she sat in the car, trying to catch a glimpse of what was bothering Juunana, but she sat, and she did it out of respect, out of knowing that she would be in the way and possibly in danger if she didn't...

The cold metal pressed against her neck, "Hey, Pretty lady." He giggled. He was bigger than she was, but she tilted her head towards him as much as the knife allowed her to.

He smelled, an ugly sort of oaf, a stupid-looking face, and he sat there with a weird sort of cough-laugh, "Eh-heh, hee, hee, heh.. Eh-heh."

She frowned, and the thought calmly passed through her head,_ 'Is it really going to end like this, me against just a common rapist?'_ But the thought calmed and passed. It was more disturbing to her that she wasn't scared than anything, and at that moment she would've given the world to be terrified because she was so numb from the constant chattering of new philosophies and ideas inside her head that she couldn't even comprehend what was really happening on a physical level, and while he tried to strip her, clumsy with his knife, she just stared like the time was waiting.

It was daunting. A stupid man, taking advantage of whatever chaos the androids left one city or another in, he didn't pick up on much but her general coldness, the lifeless look about her and her pale, thin face just staring straight ahead like he wasn't even _there _angered and moreover scared him.

And then the time had come, and the man, barely touching the soft flesh of an exposed breast, a little blood dripping down her from a slight touch and a very sharp knife, met Juunana standing furious with her son in his arms.

Juunana set Torankusu in the back seat. The rest of the band that had attacked a tired and wounded Torankusu had either run off or was killed. The leader, his sharp knife a few feet away, lay dead on the sandy trail because he tried to rape what Juunana had claimed for himself.

* * *

He was such a sweet boy, a young man. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't mean to hurt him, and she knew that making her choice (as this was what it ultimately came down to) would hurt him.

If only she could get him to see they weren't so bad...

Or maybe she could... There was no way she could win. She would've picked Gohan if he were there. But as each second passed, Juunana's hand seemed way too far away from hers and she wanted desperately to get closer to him. She couldn't love anyone. She loved Gohan. She didn't love Gohan. She desired Juunana. She loved Juunana. She desired Gohan. She couldn't desire anything.

Withouta clue, and so confused, she couldn't determine her own feelings. So she stroked her son's hair as they made their way back to wherever Juunana wanted to go, and she didn't question, she didn't thank him, but she did not question him.

He was a pervert, and a cad, and a pig, and he was sadistic and he was just flat out mean when he wanted to be. But she adored him and hated him at once. And when Gohan wasn't there to remind her she was a victim the desire to be touched was growing by the second.

And when she sat alone with Gohan, there was a sigh of simple contentment, like nothing and none other than the two existed. Bulma sighed again.

Make a choice. Make a choice. Compassion or cool, make a choice. Stay with the band and be treasured-no, not treasured, but feared by the masses, be respected, and Juunana's trophy human.

And that didn't sound so bad. Someone to use and be used by, a lover she had no required emotional attachment to. Just pure, insane physical attraction so white hot that she could feel it deep in her every breath and she watched him from the side of her eye and maybe it was just the temperature, or maybe it was just that he was so charming and he was so attentive and he gave her gifts and lovely material items that made him so, but he was very, very handsome.

And then again there was Gohan. She could not deny attraction to him. He was very sweet, and young, he was clever and smart and above all he was security. If she let him... she knew he would love her and he would never hurt her, never leave her, never be questionable in any way. He was playing life safer than safe, and yet at the same time this was far more than just the classic bad-boy versus boy-next-door scenario. No, there was far more in either machine, or boy.

Couldn't she have both of them?

* * *

Bulma ran a hand over her eyes and face. Torankusu was asleep, and when he would wake up she surely had several questions. Juunana leaned against a wall and he just watched her.

"Why didn't you stop him?"

It took Bulma a second to recognize the anger in his voice, "What?"

"Why didn't you call me, when that stupid fool had his hand down your dress!" It wasn't a question, it was a declaration of insane anger and jealousy, but it didn't stop there, "You scream and bitch and carry on when I touch your hand, but no, some disgusting, dirty little desert bandit cuts your top open and you don't do a single thing. Am I really that disgusting, would you really rather be fucked with his knife at your throat than by me?"

"Juu, I was just scared." Her voice was quiet. There was shame, but she could not find defiance to cover it up. She didn't do anything wrong. She was the victim.

Juunana paced up and down across the room, "Oh, so now," He laughed, "We go back to the 'Juu' stage because I saved your fucking brat from certain death. Well, isn't that great?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and spun her body to face the other side of the room, "I wish Gohan were here."

She wasn't sure why she said it. And it was so soft that she wasn't really sure she'd said it at all. But it was there, and he was a blazing silent for a good few seconds. Inside that something woke up, and she felt alive again, because she felt like a tigress, a temptress, and the game had started and she knew he knew it was a game now too.

"_What_?"

"_Gohan_ doesn't yell at me while I have blood dripping down my chest and a torn up dress on. He at least is decent enough to go off on stupid tangents about nothing after-"

"_Gohan," _He dangerously repeated, "Is a stupid little boy vying for his father's ex-girlfriend."

"He's sweet."

"He's a school boy."

"He could teach you some tricks." She sneered.

Juunana laughed, "You have no idea."

Bulma flipped her hair and sighed, "He's calm."

"He's boring." Juu returned.

"You know what I think? I think you're the one that wants to fuck me because of Gokou. You have this sick little obsession with.."

"And I think that you just want to pretend that he's his father."

"I do not!" She stood angrily.

He smiled as if a point had been made and she sat. He leaned back against his wall, "You want to hurt him."

"I would never hurt such a sweet, ki.." Cut off by Juunana's lips she continued between breaths, "nd, honest, compassionate..."

The kiss deepened. He was forceful, and she loved it. He was jealous, but at the same time somehow more cocky than ever, "And a little fool that you want to absolutely destroy from the inside out."

"I really..." Again, his hand on her thighs, travelling up and up again, his breath, hot on her neck.

"And _I,_" Juunana added, "am much, much better."

Bulma leaned back. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, something like Juunana twisting her blood and bringing her back; she made her choice.

* * *

I am so sorry it has been exactly a year since I last updated.

Would you rather an update or an author's note? I promise I'll make it next chapter. As stated in other fics updated today, the gist is if I am not happy with the amount of feedback I get I'm just not going to keep updating. I don't have the time or energy and I love my fics, really, really do, but at the current moment it's kinda a suppy-and-demand type thing going on and I just need to know what people are most enthusiastic about so I can focus on getting that project done.


	22. Snap

**Blue Roses**

**Chronic Laziness**

_"Get up, Woman."_

_"Eh? Huh.. huh?"_

_"Get up." _

_"Where am I?"_

_A soft white place, a warm place and a cold place and something about it made everything faint and fading, everything except that voice, that voice that she knew so, so well but she couldn't place her finger exactly on what it was, on who it was, she had no real idea what to think. She didn't even know she was sitting or laying, she didn't feel like she wasn't standing. _

_"You're here, aren't you?"_

_"Where is here?"_

_"You're a whore." _

_Now, here it hurt. She blinked, there it was, there he was, the only thing in this world that made sense, the only person, there he was, "Vegeta?"_

_"Kakarotto's fine brat and the android fool that killed me."_

_"I, you don't understand. You've been gone so long, things have really changed..."_

_"Those facts? They don't apply to the situation anymore?"_

_"Vegeta, you're dead!" _

_"I think he's right. You really are just pretending that he's Kakarotto, aren't you?"_

_"No, I'd never-"_

_"You whore, you're using him to feel like you're fucking his-"_

_"I would never hurt Gohan!"_

_"And now, you've become the android's little pet, such true loyalty."_

_"You don't understand..."_

_"And the boy?"_

_"Don't you talk to me about our son! You left me!"_

_"You've been fucking the one that killed me." _

_"I have every right in this world to love again." _

_"Don't talk to me about your silly little Human emotions."_

_"Maybe I'm with Juunana because he's so much like you!"_

_"But you loved Kakarotto's brat, isn't that what you said?"_

_"I do, I would never hurt Gohan..."_

_"I'm sure he'll just love to see this." _

_"I would never hurt Gohan."_

_Harsh laughter._

_"I would never hurt Gohan."_

_Harsh laughter._

_"I would never hurt him, Vegeta!"_

_Hysterical._

_"I love him!"_

_Cold._

_"I would do anything for him!" _

_Malicious._

_"I love him so much more!" _

_Harsh._

_"So much more than I would ever love you!"_

_Laughter._

_

* * *

_

Bulma woke up, startled and in a cold sweat. There, there he was. The one she chose, that killed her husband and her mate and the father of her child.

He said it, Bejiita'd said it, and even if it was a dream she felt as if it were so much more, as if she'd really touched him in that other world for a second, and she was ashamed.

Did she love Gokou?

Was that really what this was all about?

So unsure now. So very confused. Things were simple, things were convenient in Juunana's arms. There was no confusion, and guilt was covered easily with pleasure that tasted so much better because it was absolutely forbidden.

She was playing with a devil, and he played back, and when she pushed, he pushed her harder, up against a wall with his hand up her skirt and his lips on her neck, and things were like they were years upon years ago.

She'd made her choice that night, before they had furious sex on the floor and against the wall and in the very bed she was laying against, she'd chosen Juunana, and damn anything that forbid it.

What about Gohan?

How could she say, how could she say she loved him and how could she say that she would never hurt him? This was infidelity of a sort. She let him think that she was a victim, let him worry while she was off having fun with Juunana, and her son had gotten in trouble for this.

Couldn't they all, wasn't there a way to make this end well? Wasn't there a way just to live there in luxury's lap with her son at one side and Juu at another? As long as life was kind to her, she was selfish enough that the future didn't quite matter to her anymore, and altering history no longer mattered.

She was not a victim, no, not anymore. She was his lover and she was not his pet, she was independent and had the ability to make him jealous. She was his equal and she was a different sort of partner, almost.

Juunana was watching her. She stared at him. "How long have you been there?"

"All night. I don't sleep."

"Oh, I see."

"What did you dream about?"

"Nothing."

"That kid, eh?"

"It's nothing, Juu."

"You know, he's going to eventually find out."

"Only because you want him to."

"How did you know I wanted to crush the competition? It's such a damn guy thing to do, huh?"

"Why do you have to hurt him? You've taken so much away."

"I've taken much away? He tried to take away my fun, all was fair."

"Please, don't."

"And you expect that I just let him lust after you, I want him to know that you are mine."

Voices. Voices, everywhere.

"...Fine. You tell him. But I don't want to be there, I don't ever want to see him again."

He raised a brow, "I think I can manage that... But, no. No, you're going to tell him with me."

"Please..."

"I saved your son's life. You owe me. You think after a day I would forget? All the crap you've pulled?"

"I really can't. I can't."

"Your son."

"What if he finds out?"

"What if your boyfriend dies?"

"...Fine. I'll go with you."

Juunana purred.

Shame.

* * *

He was kind of cute, asleep that is. Annoying when awake. She watched him with a crazy curiosity. Loyal, honest, he was a little too good, it made him naive, but the qualities she'd always respected in one way or another. 

A bit of a baby, but on edge of becoming a man.

Juuhachi leaned over, barely brushed her lips against his to give him his first real kiss, unsure why, bored, perhaps.

Maybe, maybe she could change that.

* * *

He had to save her. One way or another, he had to save her. He paced and he sighed and he growled and he thought of all the horrible things that android had done to.. 

A flash through the window.

Run outside.

There. There they were.

Gohan prepared to fight, but Juunana grinned.

"Someone has something to tell you." He sang out.

"Juu, Juu stop." She sighed.

_Juu?_

"Come on, he won't believe me if I tell him."

"Gohan..." Bulma looked down.

"Look at him. In the eyes." Juunana instructed.

Unease, unease, Gohan frowned. He was prepared to fight or defend, but not for Bulma's awkward manner.

"I.. and..." Something snapped, right there. Who cared? Who cared about her? Who cared if she slept with Gohan or Juunana or if she was cruel or if she was sweet? The gods had seemingly forsaken her and her precious son. Who cared if she only wanted Gohan because of his father, or if she wanted Juunana more or if she even might have liked him or maybe she didn't, who cared?

_He was right._

She did care about Gohan, but a part of her deep, deep inside enjoyed every second of this moment and the question in his black eyes, _and she absolutely wanted to destroy him from the inside out._

Where, where had this cruelty come from? She wasn't sure, but her hand snaked up Juunana's neck and it was like he wasn't even there anymore. She let him nuzzle and lick at her, she spoke thickly over her slight moans, and then she looked back at him, a confused and abandoned animal, "I want Juunana. You're... you're a little kid, Gohan. It just couldn't last long between us. I found someone, someone-"

"Better." Juunana finished, his hand moving over her breast. He glared at Gohan, a look that dripped with victory, and Gohan was left alone there, it had happened so fast.

At first, there was denial.

And then, despair.

* * *

Okay, I decided that there's going to be some sort of J/T in the fic. Too bad if you didn't want it. I have yet to decide how hardcore it's gonna be, but there is something else I want my readers to give me their thoughts on. 

If I'm going to follow the time line, then Gohan has to die (Soon) and this will make Buruma uh ticked and then she's gonna decide to be wretched and alone and make the time machine and all that jazz. I guess I can do that but on the other hand I can go with go off with Juuhachi trying to corrupt Trunks and Gohan lives (because I can't really let him die at the androids' hands, Bulma really couldn't still be seduced after that) and keep on with the story. It's not that it's necessarily your choice, and it's not that these are the only two ways that the fic can go, but at this point some insight onto your opinion would help me make my choice.

**RC: **

**Scan: Thanks. I guess. You know, you kind of ramble. Oh, and don't tell me to "try," thanks. Oh, and the "fragile feelings" thing was a joke you obviously didn't get. Eh. **

**Lucky Shamrock22: You know I was really unsure of how I felt about Juu too when I wrote this, but I've gotten positive responses.**

**Priestess of Passion: You're awesome, never be sorry. **


	23. Control

It's been like.. a year. Oh well.

Blue Roses

Hatred. Deep and insanely and passionate hatred, that is what Gohan felt. AndThereMustHaveBeenSomeKindOfMISTAKE.

Bulma loved him. Bulma was soft and caring and he'd obsessed over this woman for years upon years and, and it was finally--everything was soft, everything was sweet. He was holding his head, thrashing back and forth in a dirty room, stomping and pacing and he could feel death everywhere. The death, the death of his father and the death of his comrades. The death of his personality and his childhood.

"Is it because he is wicked in a wicked world?"

* * *

She kissed him. It was soft, but his eyes fluttered open. Torankusu, Trunks, the baby boy sat up a little bit to watch her. There was a curious look in his eyes, but hers were sharp. They challenged him. 

"I hate you." He said, softly. Quiet.

She grinned, "Why is that now?"

Juuhachi sounded so bored. Trunks frowned at his lap, "You've taken so much away from me."

"I can do terrible things to you." A tilt of her head to the side. He glipses at her fresh, milky flesh.

"That's absurd!"

But already, her lips were hot on his neck and the light in the room seemed to blacken as he gasped. The poor boy, inexperienced, naive, prone to influence, a product of the chaotic world he lived in. And as his noble side faltered and he gave into lust, he thought, "_I could have been a hero."_

* * *

Bulma held her head. Juu watched her, "What? You enjoyed it. You liked hurting him. You are sadistic." 

"I am terrible." She replied.

"Much worse," Juunana began to move across the room in her direction until his outstretched fingers touched the tip of her chin, "You crave that sick twist in your abdomen, the attention and the heat of the moment. You needed to feel his sense of outrage and hurt, you are everything I am."

"You are a monster, Juu."

"What are you?"

"I? I'm going to fix this!" Buruma stood up, slapping his hand away. Her voice was thick with tears. "I need to fix this."

His eyes narrowed, "What you need to do is calm down. You're forgetting," He grabs her wrist, "Who is in control here." The android pressed her to the wall. His hand explored her body, between her breasts and down her thigh, up and back again, she could feel the warmth of his skin and faintly it seemed so odd to her that this creature was artificial. The lust of a man. The desire to destroy. The desire to control.

"You don't control me anymore!" She hissed, waving her hands around, "I loved him, you creep! I loved Gohan with everything I had!"

Something about the statement stunned him. The tone of her voice or the tears in her eyes and Juunana bit his lip. Shaking with anger, jealousy and hatred, his body got ridgid and cold. His hands loosened and he stepped away from her. She crossed her arms over her chest, a knowing look in her eyes, she had crossed a line; he was trying to control himself. "You would seriously, rather be with that weakling on the losing side than with me?"

"Any day," Bulma breathed. Her eyes were blazing. Malicious.

Juunana had not known rejection in a lifetime. His hand reached out to touch her cheek, she tilted it away from his reach. Angry, losing control of the situation, he raised his hand, and brought it down until it almost touched her. She flinched, closed her eyes, and then she heard him laugh.

"Open your eyes. I want you to see me. I want you to see this." He was closer to her again, hands roaming, and her shoulders and her legs, everything tingled, everything felt hot under his gaze, "Every second I spend with you, a million sides of me are screaming I should kill you. Kill the woman! Kill the weakness, kill the cause of all of this straying from my plans. I'm not having fun all the time anymore and I don't like it. Those 'you owe me, I owe you' games were real cute when all of this started out, but now, you know what?"

She looked at him.

"I really," He tugged at her hair to punctuate his thoughts, earning soft grunts from her, "Do not care if you want to fuck that guy or not. You belong to me now."

The sex that they had was rough and amazing. Her body felt as though it was on fire, she panted and she gasped in her own quiet, defiant way. He just snickered to himself, and there, the thought now planted in his head 'One day I will make you beg.'

* * *

I'll try to finish this up at some point...


	24. Breaking Point

**Blue Roses**

**Guilt.**

**Guilt.**

**Guilt.**

**It does things to you. It will always do things to a person, guilt is like poison to a person's soul. It hurts. She felt like she was half of herself.**

**No.**

**Less than half of herself.**

**Not whole.**

**Swallowed. Eyes were burning.**

**Guilt.**

**Guilt. **

**Guilt.**

**She laughed. Hysterically. It was cold, harsh. It was frightening. The journey was not worth the cost of it all. **

**_And you will lose everything. _**

**She had it. **

**She lost it. **

**Him. **

**Everything.**

**Her mind was not making sense. She could make nothing register. Nothing but pain in her heart. Nothing but this could not equal that, rocking herself in a corner as he stared at her, perplexed, almost frightened.**

**She could have attacked him, but she did not care anymore.**

**Miserable.**

**She was choking on her own tears now.**

**Sobbing.**

**Sobbing.**

**Guilt.**

**_I enjoyed it. _**

**Crying. Crying could not take it back. Could not cleanse her of her sins. Crying could not bring Vegeta back. How could it make things better? **

**How could things get any worse?**

**Bulma felt nothing but hatred in its purest form. Sick. Sick sick sick sick sick HAHAHAHAH...Ah? sick sick and now she was vomiting, retching on the floor as he watched in surprise and disgust and perhaps he was hurt but she didn't care because she was hysterical and nothing could every bring her back and **

**_Oh my lord back and she was a child searching for the Dragonballs with Son Gokou and everything was happy and the danger was almost childish and unreal and she was happy. _**

**Aching and it was insane. She bit her lip until there was blood and her mouth tasted sour and she glowered at him with disdain in its most intense form and she swore to herself that she would make him pay and **

**_Vegeta touching her flesh, lips hot on her neck and she knew it was so wrong and Yamucha was going to ask her to marry him but it didn't seem worth it anymore because Vegeta was practically god and the pleasure was so great it hurt and she felt as though her body and soul had wrapped around him as his did hers and she was happy._**

**Part of her registered the fact that everyone has a breaking point and this may or may not be hers and she felt sick and she felt insane and it was insane and everything was INSANE AND INSANE AND INSANE AND **

**_The little boy in her arms gave her a gurgle and a warm wave, he was only an infant but his hand was strong and she did not miss the look of approval on Vegeta's face, and by God she was stupid enough to believe that yes, at some point they would become a family, and she was happy. _**

**WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN?**

**Her voice was raw, she could not help but shriek. **

**Her heart had moved on and **

**_Gohan smiling playfully at her, and in all of the darkness and fear and insecurity, he held her and for the first time in a lifetime she felt safe and warm and his warmth was endless and eternal much like his father's, and his sweetness was uncertain and cocky all at once, so aware of himself, like a perfect combination of the two, Gokou and Vegeta, like he was his own person, and she was happy. _**

"I hate you Juu. I hate you, I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you..." She was rambling along, stuttering on the consonants, and his morbid interest as he just stood there in front of her, arms crossed over there with a blank and ironed face and

every

single

word

hit

harder

than

she

could

ever

imagine.

"_Why did you have to kill him?! Why did you have to kill him?! You knew I loved him! You knew I loved him and he made me happy and you knew that he was the last thing I had left and I loved him so much, and Son Gohan was so much more than you will ever be to me," Harsh laughter now, "It's so simple because you don't even get it, that I loved him and I loved him and he is so much better than-"_

_"**SHUT UP!" **_

* * *

**_...I had to kill him, you guys. _**


	25. The Blue Rose

**Blue Roses**

Trunks ran. He was frightened, stuck in a game of cat and mouse with that beast! She tried to seduce him, and he rejected her over and over. As beautiful as the machine seemed to be on the outside, all she was to him was a monster. She seemed confused at first, and then offended, and finally she unleashed fury upon him. He ran.

Something so odd was happening in his world. He could not escape the feeling that, above all else, _none of this was supposed to have happened. _And then, something odd happened. Despite all of the jealousy he felt on behalf of his father, Trunks considered for the first time in a very long time Son Gokou. Perhaps, as his mother seemed to have maintained throughout time, if he had lived...

If his father had lived, long enough... if that team, that special elite team could somehow have come together in time for the attack of the androids, then the world would be saved. Millions of lives... his life. His mother's life.

Trunks looked behind him. She had either let him go or lost him. It seemed unlikely that she'd given up, but they were unpredicable. Everything was about fun and games to them. They were harsh and cold, without emotion or the ability to comprehend the extent of their destruction.

Everywhere around him there was garbage. Trash. This world was a lonely one. It seemed desolate, without hope for itself. Trunks sad down as rain began to fall gently from the sky. It was almost as though something in the sky decided to cry for him. He tried to will tears, or any emotion, but as he considered the events of the past few months, all he could feel was a numbness.

Was this what it was to be Bejiita?

He rarely thought his father's name these days. Maybe he should have been thinking about his mother and her rescue, and maybe he should have been thinking about Son Gohan, but he felt such confusion inside that his thoughts made the decision to turn to Bejiita. He wondered if he would be proud of him. Love him, even. He wondered what Bejiita would have said about him. How he would have felt about him. If he was a bother to him, after all. He felt that he knew so little about his father.

_You're the man of this house._

And yet he wasn't. He constantly felt that men that were not his father were controlling his life, no matter how inadvertently. Gohan surely had feelings for Bulma. Trunks could tell, in the smiles that he sent her. In the way that he was so dedicated to her rescue. Trunks never really got to talk to Gohan about the topic, before his death, but his love for his master and dearest friend made it hard to protest even though the prospect of the two together felt very shattering to him.

In his mind, his mother belonged to him, and to his father alone.

And yet over and over again men attempted to take her from him. Not only Gohan. Gokou in his own right was a sort of threat. Mother had kinder things to say in Gokou's direction than she did of Bejiita. She mostly spoke of Bejiita's pride, and his strength. But no, Gokou was strong and intelligent and a brilliant fighter. He resented the perfection of this machine, this Gokou. And he came to almost think of Gokou as a machine.

He wondered what it was like to have Son Gokou as a father.

At least Gohan had a father.

Trunks wished he had a father.

He grabbed his head. Then, he emitted a cry most unpleasant to the birds around him. In the darkness, in the rain, it seemed appropriate. Trunks thought of Juuhachi. And of sex. He suddenly felt under-developed in that right. He considered mostly his mother's relationships. He acknowledged his mother's beauty, and his grandmother's, and Juuhachi's, but it was never in any sort of sexual way for him. Juuhachi was and always would be a monster to him. Nothing could change that mark, not flawless skin, not icy blue eyes.

He wondered if he would have had a girlfriend, in another world. If, like his mother, he would have dated around often and loved many people. Frightened in that metal animal's grasp, Trunks could barely take the thought of that perverse creature taking advantage of his mother, as Juuhachi had tried with him.

He should have tried to save her.

Trunks began to walk. He walked until his feet felt numb, cold in the darkness. He had no direction, he didn't know what he was looking for.

And then, he saw it.

He let out a yell. It was peircing, and he felt his dignity vanish, and nothing mattered to him at all. And he felt his rage consume him. His skin was on fire. He was pure energy. He looked down at his hands, they were glowing. He looked around, confused. Then he looked at the body littered on the floor. Like the toy that they broke, they gave him no consideration or care whatsoever.

The most dangerous game Gohan would ever play, and he had finally lost. His face was particularly bloody. He cringed, and didn't know why. It was as if by looking at the carnage he could hear the battle cries and Gohan's pain.

The death of Earth's greatest hero lent hand to the birth of a new age. Trunks powered down. Finally, he had become a Super Saiya-Jin. He knew it wouldn't be enough, Gohan was fully trained and it wasn't enough. But perhaps... he could do something.

* * *

Juunana smirked inwardly. He washed the blood off of his hands, smiled in the mirror at himself, felt that extra _bounce _in his step. He checked himself in the mirror, perfect. He felt proud of himself, that he had finally taken care of that pest. It was her own fault, for going and saying something like that. While he, a fair man, could appreciate a little bit of rivalry he was absolutely opposed to the prospect in general of allowing _that bitch _to live thinking that she could go back and forth as she did.

He decided to clear up some of the confusion for her. He couldn't take it anymore. He was... reacting too strongly to this 'I love him-I don't.' Crap. "I mean, she all out declared in front of him that she would rather fuck me, felt bad about it, and then I had to do it."

"She pretty much loaded the gun and shot it on her own." Juuhachi was sitting on the counter, legs crossed, examining her nails. She was bored at this point, although it'd taken her a while to get out of some mood she'd been in. She had such a temper.

Juunana resented the sarcasm and half-hearted response, but kept on, "I don't understand how it is that she can change her mind so quickly. Well, never again. She can't do it any more. I'm all she's got now, no hero to save her now. What about the boy? Have you killed him yet?"

Juuhachi huffed, "No." And then she mumbled something he didn't quite catch.

He turned around, without a shirt, cuts across his chest glaring down at his sister. "What was that?" He asked.

"He got away." Juuhachi admitted.

"I thought we decided we would kill both of them tonight." Juunana looked at her, furious, "No resistance, whatsoever."

"And what would it do? There is no resistance at the moment. If we kill them all we'll have nothing to play with. Unfortunately, we need humans more than we let on." Juuhachi sighed, pragmatic as ever. And she quirked a brow at Juunana, knowing well enough she'd implied something that was about to incite much anger.

"_Need?"_

"Need. You heard me. Imagine a world that's just the two of us. We can't die, we can't do anything at all. Forever denied of our original purpose, which wasn't our choice in the first place, we just exist, aimlessly destroying things so that they can be rebuilt so that we can destroy them again."

Juunana grabbed his sister by the arms. She looked at him, beautiful blue eyes widened, "We do not _need _anything, nothing but each other!"

"I love you too," she let out sarcastically, jerking out of his grasp, "But you know that I'm right, in more ways than one."

"Why don't you just say it?!" He demanded sharply.

"Say what?" She hissed.

Juunana looked at her darkly, "You have been opposed to Bulma since I first saw her and decided to make her mine. And now you suggest that I _need _her? That she's making me weak, holding us back!?"

Juuhachi slipped off the counter and flipped her hair over her shoulder, "You said all of that on your own. All I said," She sashayed out of the room, and from the corridor he could hear her finish with a yawn, "was that we need humans to make things so that we can destroy them, because we have nothing else to do."

* * *

"Let's you and me get one thing straight," He began as he briskly moved into the room, "I do not _need _you. You are going to be my whore. I'm going to tell you something, and you're going to freak out, but this is your own doing. And remember: you are going to be my whore. I will use you in whatever way I wish. And if you do not comply, I will not kill you. I will kill your son. I will make you suffer. I will find anything that ever meant anything to you, and I will destroy it. I am a destroyer, Bulma, and I want you to understand that you are outmatched here."

She looked up at him. Finally, he had her full attention.

And then he told her. He told her about how after her outburst he could no longer contain himself. What he didn't tell her was that his jealousy was intense to the point of actual pain. Yes, she hurt him. And that would never happen again. So he eliminated the competition. He'd like to see the pretty boy even have a shot at getting anything in heaven, after what he did to him. It was borderline torture. He humiliated him. Son Gohan, and all of his strength, could do nothing. That was the plan. He didn't tell her that he had also planned on killing Trunks, claiming to his sister that there would no longer be any opposition. He didn't want to tolerate any more bullshit.

No more bullshit, none at all.

But she failed in that endeavor. No matter. As Bulma began to react to the news of Gohan's tragic demise he could tell that it was wise to have kept her son alive. Mess with her heart too much and perhaps he would have broken her. In a way in that moment as he watched her, hysterical, he understood what his sister meant. To completely break the humans would not help them, at all. They were without purpose.

Perhaps this entire ordeal, perhaps all of the pain and death and destruction he had caused was because of his lack of purpose. He possessed more power than all of the Z-fighteres, and probably too could have made anything out of Son Gokou, but he would never know. He would never realize the one destiny that had been set out for him. For this, as he watched her with only slightly opened eyes, he felt dizzy, and pale, and useless.

Almost even human.

But she was so, so very good at getting the best of him. She was superb at saying the right thing to take all of those feelings away and making sure that he would forever remain cold and cruel.

"I hate you Juu. I hate you, I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you..." She was rambling along, stuttering on the consonants, and his morbid interest as he just stood there in front of her, arms crossed over there with a blank and ironed face and

every

single

word

hit

harder

than

she

could

ever

imagine.

"_Why did you have to kill him?! Why did you have to kill him?! You knew I loved him! You knew I loved him and he made me happy and you knew that he was the last thing I had left and I loved him so much, and Son Gohan was so much more than you will ever be to me," Harsh laughter now, "It's so simple because you don't even get it, that I loved him and I loved him and he is so much better than-"_

_"**SHUT UP!" **_

He couldn't take it anymore. He pushed her on the bed, and for the first time ever he actually forced her. He always felt that he couldn't do it. He always felt a lot of ways. But now, in the midst of it all, all he knew was that he needed to _fuck _her and _possess _her in ways he never had before.

_I need you to remember that you are not the one that is in control here._

He needed it desperately.

* * *

Juuhachi sighed a little bit to herself. She wondered if he knew what he was doing. She loved her brother, in a way that she didn't entirely understand. It had always been the two of them against the world. Against fate and destiny. And the forces of good.

But Son Gokou changed all of that. It didn't go according to plan. And then, this... woman! Juuhachi felt the most frustration at her. With no plans, no real goals or anything to _do _it was hard to blame her brother for eventually seeking out such amusement. Hell, hadn't she?

She saw potential in the young man that she hadn't in years. She hadn't seen it since what they now assumed to be his father. She leaned back, recalling the event. Their deaths were quick, without climax or chance. Perhaps that's why they allowed Gohan to live for so long. They _could _have killed him a million times over but they enjoyed playing with him too much.

Perhaps by allowing the others to live, there could have been a greater sense of direction.

But Juuhachi above all knew that the world that they lived in was one that depended on her whim. And she was bored and sulky, and a woman that had been rejected by the boy that she had agreed to kill.

She would just have to go out, and to find him and kill him after all. Juunana was loud, and Bulma's cries became dead after a while. Whatever his power trip was, whatever the issue with control and possession that he seemed to have, that was now up to him. Juuhachi escaped in the early morning, when it was cold and damn outside. She could feel that it had only just stopped raining. No matter.

She had a feeling as to where the kid would be, wherever Gohan was. Locate Son Gohan.

The lifeforce of Son Gohan cannot be located.

No, you idiot, the body. Locate the body of Son Gohan. His blood should be scattered everywhere. One location, two. An hour passes. Juuhachi finds determination in trying to find and kill the boy. For this evening she replaces her feeling that she has no destination with the desire to locate and destroy this beautiful boy. Juuhachi is almost desperate for this.

She feels that she needs this. That there was something great in her life that had been taken away from her. Not that she had a _life, _she had an existence. She was, until she wasn't. She would die when her mechanical parts rotted and she would finally shut down for the last time.

She imagined that it would be something like Human death, but something else entirely also. She didn't believe she had a soul. Because she didn't have a soul she wouldn't go to heaven. Then againj she wouldn't have to worry about Hell, either.

That's the thing about life, after all. There's something after it, good or bad is your choice. An existence, however...

Ended in coldness. And dark. And alone.

* * *

He hurt her in a way that she didn't imagine he ever could. There was a time so long ago in her mind that she had a conversation with Bejiita. That dream was so terrible. In many ways when she woke up she felt as if she'd had a real conversation with Bejiita. Their last one.

For the first time in a long time she considered how Bejiita would feel about the entire affair. Juunana was responsible for Bejiita's death and yet she allowed his darkness to seduce her. She felt beautiful and important and the more he desired her, the more she felt like her old self. The comparison was huge.

Bejiita was responsible for many horrors on his own hands and yet she found a way to love him. She made him a father. Every day she wished that father and son had more time together, and yet, recalling the darkness that surrounded the prince in her own right she was glad that that had minimal influence on her sweet son.

At some point she felt that Gohan's influence--or actually, Gokou's influence on Torankusu was the best thing possible for him. And yet she saw now that she harnessed nothing but confusion. She wondered what her son would think of, if only he knew.

She felt trapped, a slave forever in this dark world to Juunana. It seemed that the only way out would be death. At this point she felt as if there was nothing else that she could do, no negotiations. Bulma lay there, staring at the wall. Juunana was gone. He would re-enter soon: naked, energized, and ready to take her again.

She sat up in the bed and looked around. She felt sick. Her heart hurt. How would Bejiita feel to know that she had fallen in love with Gohan? And had she? Was it love? Did she love Bejiita?

The answer was simple: it didn't matter anymore.

He came back in, leering at her. The air shifted in a way that it hadn't in a long time. She felt afraid of him. He sensed it, he could practically smell it, and he loved it. His chest seemed smooth and flawless, and yet Bulma looked away, uninterested and engrossed in her own thoughts and sadness.

He noticed that, the lack of attention. It wasn't so much that she was bored of him, but that all of her other emotions had quite suddenly tuned him out. He no longer belonged in her life. And there was nothing Juunana resented more than this.

"I killed him, Bulma." Juunana said, and she looked up at him.

"Why do you have to tell me that?" Her voice was soft.

Juunana sat next to her. He smiled at her in a sarcastic manner, wrapped his arm around her, "Do you know why I killed Gohan, Bulma?"

"Because I said I loved him." Her answer was almost robotic.

He grinned, "That's true. And do you know what's going to happen if I don't feel satisfied with you?"

"You'll go kill something else important to me."

Juunana smiled, "Then I think that you had better get started pleasing me, don't you?"

She looked at him. She felt exhausted. The last thing that she wanted to do was willingly give pleasure to the one that had caused her so much sorrow. When would he ever let her go?

She was... without a doubt, powerless.

* * *

"I'm going to kill you." Juuhachi proclaimed. She approached him slowly. "But first I think that we have a few things to-"

And with that, the fight began. It was the first time she saw him as a Super Saiya-Jin. She was impressed, not only at the impulsiveness of his actions, but at his prowess and strength. He was a powerful creature, this boy.

Offhandedly it occurred to her that if anyone was to bring her ultimate demise, it would be this boy. It was always obvious that Gohan would never succeed in his mission. But this boy, something about him, the darkness that lurked in those blue eyes of his, the anger and hatred that he seemed to be denying, the part of him that was his father, would be victorious. One day, some day, in some way.

Perhaps it was because it frightened her that she fought back so hard. He took a rough kick to the chest and hit a wall. With that, he powered down, and it was moments before he would jump to his feet, ready to be attacked. "I told you," Juuhachi said slowly, her hips swaying as she moved, "that I had a few things to say. But since you were so," she grabbed his hair and pushed him against the wall, "rude, I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way."

Trunks grunted. Her strength was too much, and she wasn't getting tired.

Juuhachi was playing with him like a cat. Pick him up, torment him, throw him. The image of a dead and beaten Gohan was forever on his mind now, though. Trunks felt no fear. No regret. He felt nothing but a great sense of anger.

"You are a monster!" He cried out, powering up again. He moved out towards her, and they exchanged blows to a perfect rhythm. She kept up with him, and he did her, in a way that Gohan would have never expected.

His master would have been proud. He hoped that his father too would have been.

She knocked him down again. This time it took longer to get back up. Juuhachi moved towards him, "I have something that maybe you would like to know."

The sun was coming up. A new day. A new age. A new era.

"You have nothing of interest to me!" He cried out. Gohan was dead. Gohan was _dead!_

He was a shaking, crying, sobbing child on the inside. Broken up, torn up. Was this what it would have felt like to lose a father?

Juuhachi smiled, "Even if it concerns that mother of yours?"

Trunks was very still and silent. Every part of him was rigid.

"I thought so. You know, she's very beautiful. She must get a lot of _attention."_

Trunks was dead silent. He crossed his arms over his chest, "What is it that you have to say about my mother? Where is she?! Why have you taken her? What in the Hell is going **ON?!"**

**

* * *

**God is a tyrant. He must be. Otherwise, this wouldn't have happened this way. Something in heaven was assuredly messed up. What benevolent being could have put her in such a position? She felt dull and numb when she performed on him. Nothing he said changed that. She tried to bring herself back in time, she would think of Gokou or Bejiita, or Trunks, or Gohan. Even Yamucha. She would think of her childhood and her parents. Juunana would pull at her hair and say awful things to her, he would taunt her and try to humiliate her to feel big, but it didn't matter. Nothing seemed to matter.

She felt quite dazed, and far away.

To her servicing him sexually was sick at this point. Nothing would make the time pass more quickly. Nothing made any of this go away. Her heart was moaning, looking for a kind smile or some sort of love. There was no heart to Juunana. There was no kindness to him, no love. Whatever his special feelings for her were, they were now gone.

Bulma was alone and she knew it.

She wished that there was something she could do to protect Trunks. Now that Gohan was dead she knew that it was only on a whim of Juunana's that he was alive as well. These were dark, rough, dangerous waters that she was in, and she didn't know if she could steer herself back. Telling him that she loved him, trying to pay any attention to him, would seem too forced. At this point she knew it was best to humor him. He wanted to punish her, and she knew it. He wanted her to suffer in ways that most people could only imagine. He wanted her broken, beaten, and alone. He wanted her to live the worst sort of existence, and when he was tired of her, she would die too.

Worst of all, he wanted her to know that her existence was dependent upon him. And that she would only be necessary for so long. Her thoughts were interrupted by him, sadistic beast that he was.

_"Just think of it this way," He purred, "Maybe your son can finally know of our little deal like this, with you on your knees in front of me." _

She glared at him, but was silent. He slapped her. She touched her cheek. He saw a spark in her eye and smiled.

Breaking her would be more fun than he could ever possibly imagine.

Bulma wondered if Bejiita ever had slaves, back when he was Furiza's pet. Of course he did, she knew he did, _he told her he did. _Power games always appealed to Bejiita too. It was how they first became attracted to each other. But there was something undeniably decent about Bejiita after a while, something that she did not feel at all in Juunana. She wondered how Bejiita treated his concubines, because that's surely what he meant by slaves. Did he seek to break them down in such a way?

The sick thought of her son seeing her this way was unacceptable to her. She knew at that moment that she would have to fight, but in the end all she could think was that Son Gokou needed to be alive. She needed him. Not in any sort of romantic or sexual way, as she so often found herself wanting men these days, but in a genuine sort of way. Had he survived he would have persevered. He would have conquered this darkness.

And Trunks?

Trunks would have grown up with a father.

* * *

"You're not stupid. I bet you know why Juunana took Buruma. I bet you know." Juuhachi egged him on. He attacked her without thinking and the action was returned with a rough elbow to the face.

He wiped the blood away, spit a little bit up. Juuhachi raised a brow, so he was a tough guy. "Why are you just playing with me? Tell me already!"

"She's such a beautiful woman, though, you know, I really admire her!" Juuhachi lunged at the younger man. Again, Trunks was on his back. He was feeling exhausted and weak. He needed to eat, he needed to sleep. It was such a long night, so much had happened.

He had aged.

And finally he admitted what she was right, he'd always known, "He took her because Gohan was in love with her."

Juuhachi smiled. She just stood in front of him and smiled that devious smile and he knew that it was true.

"He took her because Gohan was in love with her and he wanted her for himself."

"Go on." Juuhachi flipped her hair. She was eating this up, the exhausted tone in his voice. The way that he suddenly seemed to be so destroyed. "It's almost as if your whole world revolved around the idea that your mother was completely devoted to your father. Do you feel like maybe she thought you were a mistake? Do you feel like maybe she wished that instead your father was Son Gokou?"

Oh, it burned deep inside to hear that. And yet those were the demons that he tried so hard to look away from the past several years, "My mother loved my father!"

"Your mother," Juuhachi's eyes flared, "has been having **sex **with Gohan _and _Juunana for a very long time!" Juuhachi administered unto him a final blow, "Your mother is a whore."

A light in Trunks' eyes dimmed out. At first it flickered, defiant before her, more brilliantly than it ever had before, but he had to realize, he had to accept and acknowledge so much, and this time, he lay in the rubble, on concrete and blood, silent.

Juuhachi laughed. And maybe because she felt sorry for him, she left.

* * *

When Juunana woke up, she was gone. He looked about furiously. He was frantic. "That fucking **BITCH**! I'll kill her!"

He was raving, furious. Nothing could console him, nothing could stop this fury. Or perhaps one could stop this. Juuhachi stood in front of him. She cooled his anger with her calm. She leaned against a wall as if letting him pass, but she knew that he would stand in confusion at her actions, "I've been thinking..." She said.

"Whatever about!?" He hissed.

"You know, about this whole destiny thing that we had a conversation about the other day." She said simply, taking in his reaction. She watched him carefully, the way he breathed and how the tenseness in his muscles seemed to demand revenge.

Juunana raised a brow, barely able to maintain patience, "What are you getting at?"

"Well I'm assuming from your ever-so subtle behavior," Juuhachi began, "that your _little woman _made her _big escape._"

His silence confirmed it, and even though she could tell his temper was just about to flare, he stood silently, humoring her. "So what about it? I will simply go get her back." He punctuated the words, the way that he would quickly and cleanly administer his revenge. Juunana glared at his sister, "And you are preventing me from doing that with your silly little talks about fate and destiny!"

"But-"

He almost pushed her to the side as she reached out for his arm. Almost. He glared at her again, "What?"

"But what if we let her? Like I was telling you the other day, we're going to be bored without anything to do on this planet. Your whole idea of 'no opposition' won't work for us. We aren't tyrants, we don't want to rule over anything. Power and wealth isn't going to change anything. We just want a good time."'

"Well," He hissed in response, "My _good time _as you decided to point out is _gone!" _

"Sex with her? Why win the battle so easily? One day," Juuhachi said with a grin, "you can win. You can torture her in the ways that you always wanted to. But the boy, I fought him last night. He can go blonde like the other one could."

Those words made Juunana raise a brow, "So you mean he's more powerful now."

"The game is on again." Juuhachi grinned at her brother.

"You know, I'm not really one for cat-and-mouse like you are..." Juunana began stroking his chin, concentrating, thinking deeply about the deal on the table. "So we give him a chance to bring us down. Don't you think you're gambling here?"

"What can they do that they haven't already? And they're down a member. They're practically done."

"Then what's the point?"

Juuhachi smiled, "I like giving people false hopes."

"But then... she's going to be mine, and I don't want to hear anything from you."

Juuhachi nodded. They would make that deal. They would give them a chance. She knew that Juunana would go along with the prospect of a challenge. They had no destiny, and so she would create one for herself, no matter how temporary.

She would make his life a living Hell, this Trunks boy. She would make him hurt.

* * *

When he woke up, he was in his bed. He heard slight humming, and felt someone brushing his hair back. Immediately, he shot up in bed and grabbed the wrist of the other individual. He heard a soft gasp, and then saw that he was looking into the eyes of his beloved mother for the first time in what felt like forever. "Mom..."

Bulma smiled at her son, giving him a soft kiss on the forehead, "It's okay. We're okay right now."

"Mom..."

"Don't worry about anything at all, son, I've got it-"

"Mom!" He felt himself panic a little bit, "Gohan is dead."

Tears threatened Bulma when she heard those words. She looked away, silent. Trunks watched her carefully, "I know, Son."

"Did you love him, Mom?" Trunks asked. He felt anger towards his mother all of a sudden. He never really felt this way about her again, but he could not get the word _whore _out of his mind. She slept with him like she slept with Gokou like she slept with Gohan like she just slept with his father. Did she know no loyalty? Was sex such a big thing to his mother? Was everything about attraction and replacing one lover with another? He didn't understand and he didn't think he wanted to. All he felt was betrayal and fury.

The coldness in his tone told her that the conversation they were about to have would be long."Gohan... there are some things I haven't been entirely... truthful about."

"**No!**" Trunks hissed, "You're going to answer my questions now."

Bulma sighed. "I deserve this."

"Did you or did you not have sex with Gohan?"

"I did but--"

"Yes or no." He was cold. He was in control. He felt mechanical. He needed to tell the truth.

"Yes. I did."

"At this same time, did you or did you not have sex with Juunana?"

Silence.

"**Did you!?**"

".....Yes." Her eventual answer broke his heart.

And with that, he felt something crack, "Willingly?"

"...Yes."

"So you're meaning to tell me that you _slept _in my _father's _bed with Gohan and at the same time you were running out, offering yourself to the absolute cause of **my father's **death?!" He was furious. The tips of his hair were turning blonde. He was gathering energy, and the bed underneath him was cracking. Bulma found herself frightened, and as tears streamed down his face, and his voice cracked, she could tell that the young man was deeply confused, "My father... my father---"

"Your father would be very, very proud of you." She rested a hand on his cheek.

"Don't **_do _**that!" He shouted at her, jumping out of the bed, "You! You just stay away from me!"

The air became thick. Bulma did not know what to do. She felt as if she'd lost the most important thing to her in all of the world. "Trunks, what would you have me say?"

"**Nothing! **Your actions have done enough! Gohan is **dead!** And it's _your _fault! And my father is dead! And now those crazy, sadistic beasts have the satisfaction of having you too! They have taken **_everything _**from me! I have **nothing!**"

And finally, Bulma saw her actions in a light she hadn't considered before. He was right. Everything she did hurt more than herself. And she had to answer to him now, and she didn't know how to.

"Say something!" He demanded, tears streaming down his face.

She sat down. He was furious that she was so damn calm. And finally, she began, "Trunks, I have a lot of problems. But don't think that I don't love your-"

"No!" He shouted, his voice thick with emotion, "You don't love my father! Don't you ever dare say those words! You don't love my father and you don't love me! You're sick!" He backed up, back back back up against a wall until he could move away from her no more, "You... you never loved anything but yourself."

The words hit her like knives. She began to cry. "I didn't mean to. I did love Bejiita, I did! Even when he didn't love me. And you? You mean everything to me, son!"

He looked at her. A coldness came over him, "I don't believe you, mom. It's going to take me a very long time to believe you."

"Look... I know I've hurt you," Bulma sighed, "But... I think there's something we can do about the androids."

_Juuhachi had returned. Juunana was gone, she had no idea where he was. The door opened, and for the first time the naked Bulma stared into the eyes of the other dark woman. She dropped a small bag in front of her, and then closed the door again. Bulma opened it, blinking a bit. A dyno-cap. A car. A means to escape. _

_She opened the door moments later, fully dressed, 'Is this some sort of joke?' _

_'No. No it's not. Get out of here before he gets back.' She said, shaking her head. _

_'Why?' _

_'Because I want a challenge. I'm letting you know right now. We are not going to go easy on you. I dare you to try and stop us.'_

_'I see...' Bulma said. And then she simply left._

"What do you mean?"

"Look... I don't really think there's anything we can do alone. We need help."

"I know that mom, but where?"

"Not where, Trunks."

"Then **what**?"

Bulma crossed her arms over her chest and looked in his eyes with conviction and confidence. And then, she gave a smirk worthy of Bejiita, "_When."_

The sun has risen. The sky outside was the most beautiful shade of blue. From the clouds, so high above, Bulma could make something out from the window. A single blue rose fell from the sky. It was such a curious thing. It rested on the ground only for a few moments. Bulma watched it for a moment, curious, unsure, afraid. But the rose gave her hope. And a sense of self that she didn't feel she had since the day that Bejiita went away into the sky forever. Finally, the sky had given her something back. The tiniest sense of hope that ever could be allowed. And suddenly, it evaporated, sparkling in the sunlight. She felt joy and sadness all at once, and could swear that she heard a voice, raspy and arrogant, that she had not heard in over a decade. She turned and looked at her son with a smile on her face. We can do this. We can have hope. We do not have to be afraid. We do not have to belong to anyone anymore.

_

* * *

_

_**Blue Roses.**  
_

* * *


End file.
